The Life and Times of a Mostly Innocent Bystander
by reallyboredandslightlyannoyed
Summary: Vienna Vollomon has always been quiet. But after last summer... can she learn to speak again? Can the Host Club uncover her shadowed past? Will she let them? T for swearing. OCxMori, OCxKyo. a tiny bit of OCxKao and HikaxHaru.
1. C1: Getting there

**okay guys, this is my first fanfic evereverever. dont really know what im doing. and i hatehatehate it when these author note things are too long so ill try to keep 'em to a minimum. OH and I DO NOT OWN OURAN. so there. wish me luck. get reading. ~RBASA**

_The Life and Times of a Mostly-Innocent Bystander._

**C1: Getting There.**

I walked down the street to my new school, admiring the crisp fall morning. The trip here from Canada was exciting and all but… well actually it wasn't. It was boring and monotonous, just like I knew this new school year was going to be.

I hadn't moved in yet, 'cause my plane had just landed this morning, and I sure as hell wasn't going to miss **another** day of school. I had already missed the first, so I would stand out today no matter what, but it was better now than later. I yawned and shifted my backpack. Bleh. First day of school at Ouran Academy. It was a dreadful thought.

At least I would get to see my cousins again. I hadn't seen them since we were little kids and I was excited. Hikaru and Kaoru were fun to be around, to say the least. They always seemed to cause trouble and yet somehow make everything all right again. I was always jealous of them. They had each other, while I had no-one.

My entire family was distant, as if they didn't know I was there. My parents especially, Melissa and Charles. They never glanced my way or asked how school was or made me lunch or told me to have a good day. They lived their lives around me, like they didn't want to see me, especially these past few months. _No-one_ knew I was there, besides my brothers, but even they seemed to ignore me most of the time. I had been invisible my entire life, and when I suggested that I move to Japan after getting word of the scholarship, it was like they just realized that they had a daughter. The only one who truly 'saw' me was my best friend, Sayer, who, ironically, is blind. Life just hates you sometimes, doesn't it?

I had 3 brothers who were all much older than I was, so, naturally, didn't really want anything to do me. Cole turned 22 last month, Ross was 21, and Jame would be turning 20 in a couple of weeks. I had always been closest to Jame, but Ross would sometimes crack a joke and talk with me when mom and dad weren't around. Cole had moved out as soon as he turned 18, and we would only see him for a couple days every year for Christmas.

The twins were distantly related to us all through some marriage or something, but I always just called them my cousins. We only saw them, oh, what, like 3 times in total? My parents hated their entire family for some idiotic and random reason, and refused to meet with them unless absolutely required. But I fell in love with them, even though they kind of kept to themselves. They were fun and exciting and new. So, moving in with them would be too, right?

I sighed.

In most ways I thought of the twins as my little brothers, and it was my job to keep them in line, even though they were just a little younger than me. Their parents called us 'the triplets' whenever we were together. We could have been, too, if it weren't for my eyes. I had stormy blue-grey eyes while the twins had bright gold + brown ones. But, other than that, we were the spittin' image of the other two. Red hair, small, mouse-like features, and tiny freckle flecks across our sharp noses. I hoped they hadn't changed too much since the last time I saw them.

My phone blooped. (*bloop*)

I glanced down at the screen and read my text:

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**HEY ARE YOU THERE YET WHY HAVENT YOU CALLED ME YOU KNOW IM NOT GOOD AT TXTING!**

I smirked and texted back, knowing her special phone would read it out loud to her in a robotic voice.

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**HEY CANT YOU SHUTUP AND WAIT A COUPLE HOURS? and arent you supposed to be asleep? i seriously think the jet lag is internally slaughtering me. i didnt sleep on the plane.**

I groaned internally as I looked up and reached the massive pink building's campus. Did it really have to be _**pink**_? _Honestly?_ Then I saw all the fancy outfits. Yellow dresses and blue suits everywhere, meandering around before classes.

I felt significantly underdressed as I looked down at my faded bellbottom jeans and converse. I also had a black and white striped long sleeve tee and two long, messy red braids. I bit my lip. _Would've been nice if I was told there were uniforms_. I thought bitterly. _Well, it's now or never, Vinny_. I said to myself and started the long trek across the yard, trying to ignore the stares and giggles.

"look at her shirt…"

"and those shoes..."

"… god what kind of hairstyle_ is_ that?"

"…commoner…"

"ew, gross…"

I twitched. I didn't know rich people were ACTUALLY this snobby. I always assumed it was just a stereotype. Oh how wrong I was. I pulled my bulky headphones over my ears and held my head high as I strode through the doors and searched for the main office. There was no way I was asking for help from these richbitches.

_This year is gonna suck ass_, I thought to myself as I dodged more comments and glares.

**~end of C1~**

**Hm. so there it is. my very first chapter. i know its not all that great. i feel like i just barfed up a bunch of info about my character all on you guys, but i couldnt find a way to let it out slowly. soo please stick with me here. ill get better. and i appreciate reviews. oh, and dont be afraid to tell me all the crappy things about my writing. just go for it. it could really help. ~RBASA**


	2. C2: And the Awful Day Continues

**yep. here's C2. good luck. **

**oh, and i dont own ouran. am i really supposed to say that every time or am i just confused? ~RBASA**

**C2: And the Awful Day Continues..**

I rounded a corner quickly, trying to escape more whispers when I ran straight into a very small boy. Too bad _I_ was the one that got knocked over.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! Are you okayyy?" he yelled as he helped me up.

I gave him a small smile and a nod. He looked very young, and had messy blonde hair and AMAZINGLY CUTE brown eyes, and was holding a pink bunny. Next to him stood a tall, dark, handsome man. They were such an odd pair I almost laughed, but instead I just skirted around them and continued my search.

"HEY WAIT!" the boy yelled and tugged at my shirt. I turned around. "Are you new? My name's Honey, what's yours? Do you want some cake?" He held his plate out to me. _GAH!_ I thought. _He's soo cuttte!_ I gave him a small smile a tiny shake of my head, glancing at the tall teen. He had short black hair and was staring blankly at the situation, not a single expression on his face. I knew that face. I had seen it so many times in the mirror. _I wonder whats he's thinking.._ I thought mindlessly.

"Ah, Miss Vienna Vollomon, is it?" a man said behind me. I whirled around, the sound of my name snapping my thoughts back to the outside world. "I see you're making friends already. My name is Mr. Suoh. If I could welcome you to my office, we can have a nice chat about your new home here at Ouran Academy."

_Great. My new home_, I thought sourly as I plastered a sweet smile onto my face and followed him down the hall.

[][][]

I sat down in the absurdly neat office and zoned out as the man droned on about my classes. He seemed nice and all, but I just couldn't pay attention. I felt bad for the guy. Spends his days helping all these kids that don't even care…. _Must be sad_… I thought.

"Miss Vollomon?" he asked.

I looked up and raised my eyebrows politely.

"Here is your schedule and uniforms. You are not required to wear them, of course, but it blends in and none of the students here seem to mind it." He smiled and handed me the dresses and paperwork.

I nodded and turned, my fake smile disappearing as I walked out the door. I stomped to the nearest trashcan, threw the ugly yellow dresses inside and trudged along to find my first class.

[][][]

The day went by agonizingly slow. The classes were annoying, consisting only of crap that I already knew and sniggering girls. Finally, lunchtime came. I knew I would have no-one to sit with so I wandered around, and found a mostly empty room, filled only with couches and chairs and tables.

_Huh. Music room #3_, I thought. _Weird._

There were a couple window seats that showed a lovely view of the courtyard. I sat down and munched my lunch, laying back and closing my eyes for a while. It was lonely. I thought about going back to the cafeteria and sitting with the twins, but I was in a horrible mood and didn't want them seeing me like this.

I would calm down and when the school day was done I would go 'home' and surprise them… and then take a very long nap. I smiled as I thought of how they would react. _"Oh Vinny, it's been sooooo long!"_ they would shout in unison and hug me. I smiled and packed up my stuff.

_Only one more class to go, Vinn. One more_. I thought silently as I exited the lonely room.

[][][]

I sat through yet another class filled with the sniggering girls, seemingly the same ones as before. _Oh well_, I thought. _They're all the same_.

I yawned and scanned the room. I almost smiled as I saw the little blonde boy I bumped into earlier, sitting with the tall guy. _Huh_, I thought. This class was only for 3rd years. The only reason I got in, being a 1st year, was because I was, well, kind of, I guess… a…. nerd? Well I was really smart but I would hardly call myself a nerd. It's not like I go flaunting my intelligence everywhere and sniffling and pushing up my glasses and correcting everyone on their facts. But the majority of my courses WERE for upper-classmen.

I guess he was just a really small 3rd year. Funny. And his tall friend was a third year too. I was glad to see faces I recognized.

The class went on and on and on and on…. and on about nothing and I started dozing off. I could barely keep my eyes open. The plane trip had taken alot out of me. I yawned, trying to pay attention… but…

Suddenly I was falling out of my chair_. Shit- wait- whatt?_ I thought as I landed with a thud and a _whoosh_ as the air flew out of me.

Everyone in the class was giggling.

"I guess commoners have trouble with more than one kind of balance," One Barbie-girl across the room laughed. The teacher grumbled.

I held back my blush and quickly sat back in my seat.

"Miss Vollomon, it would be very much appreciated if you stayed awake in class… and Miss Miki… just…. Please behave." The teacher deadpanned.

I fumed as I realized what kind of a place this was. It was not based on education or intelligence, nor the students' welfare and futures. It was based on money, and money alone. The richest and most influential got the best treatment, and the rest of us were just sacks of easy cash. _I shouldn't have come here._

Honey looked sad and a little angry, his friend expressionless except for an invisible crinkle of concern between his brows, a detail only experienced people in the art of indifferentness would catch. I pretended not to notice.

Barbie-Miki smirked at me.

_I hate this place._

**~end of C2~**

**so there ya go. C2. if ya liked it, please review. if ya didnt.. please review. ^^ ~RBASA**


	3. C3: Title's Too Long D:

**oiii~ here's C3. have fun. and i don't own ouran. (unfortunately.) ~RBASA**

**C3: Meeting the Host Club and Getting My Sense of Security Ripped Away Like a Candy Wrapper.**

After class I decided to go back to the lonely music room.

I wandered down the halls, planning my revenge on Barbie-Miki as I tried to remember the way there.

Maybe I could 'accidentally' get gum in her hair, or trip her in the hall, or maybe just push her into the pond. No, all of those would get me noticed, and that is the last thing I wanted after today…. But I already threw out my uniforms, so I would get noticed anyway. _Ah, what's the point_, I thought, opening the door handle. Revenge was for the wicked and I definitely did not consider myself wicked.

"Welcome," Multiple voices chorused as rose petals flew in my face.

It seemed that my secret room wasn't so secret anymore.

I looked over the boys that stood in a strange group in front of me. All of them were beautiful, and obviously rich. I saw the little boy- er, the very small third year, Honey, and his unusually attractive tall friend, and a few more. A tall blonde one with purple eyes, a black-haired glasses one, and a very small, very feminine looking one. I assumed she was a girl in disguise. I made a mental note to look further into it. And- _AH! HIKARU AND KAORU!_

This all passed through my mind within seconds without an expression on my face. I smirked at the twins. It was so THEM to get into something weird like this. I started walking over to my window seat when-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! VINNY IT'S BEEN SOOOOOOOOOOOO LONG!" my cousins shouted in unison, spastically popping up behind me and hugging (strangling) me. They dragged me over to the shocked group. I was surprised and a little happy they recognized me so quickly.

"Wait… You two know her?" purple-eyes asked.

"Well, yeah. She's our cousin," they replied, as if he should already know this. "We knew she was moving here, but not so sooon!" They ruffled my hair and pinched my cheeks. "ISN'T SHE SO CUTE?" they yelled, suddenly flipping me upside down, holding me by my ankles and tugging at my braids.

I gasped, trying to keep my shirt from falling down and squirming to get out of their grips. I couldn't help my blush as the now-upside-down group smirked and snickered at me.

"That is Vienna Vollomon, first year, recently moved here from Canada. Distant relative of the Hitachiin twins." The black-haired glasses one started, reading from a black book. "Very fluent in English, French, and Japanese. Intelligent, excelling to upper-class level courses early, and accepted into Ouran Academy through an academic scholarship. The board decided to give away two this year, one to Haruhi, and one to Vienna," _Whatttttt?_ I thought. _How did he know all this stuff?_ "Athletic; has won a good number of championships in Swimming and Gymnastics. Quite a few music awards, too."

Everyone looked at me, sizing me up, which I thought was very inappropriate at this time, considering I was upside down with the blood rushing to my head and all. I blushed even more, not that you could see it. I wasn't used to the attention.

"Well," the blond purple-eyed one said, looking at my upside-down face in interest.

Suddenly angry at how stalker-ish this all was, I promptly brought my elbows up and smashed them down on the twins' spot-where-da-sun-don-shine and smirked as they fell, groaning, to the ground. Everyone sniggered and I caught myself on my hands and flipped forward, glad to be right –side up again. I tried to ignore all that glasses had said, but was unable to shake the creepy, I-really-don't-think-my-identity-is-safe-anymore feeling off.

Honestly, I was surprised he didn't mention- I stopped that thought in its tracks and started walking over to my window seat again, trying think of other, happier things.

"But my princess, don't be shy. You must join us in our hosting activities," purple-eyes said as he caught my wrist, spun me around, and pulled me close to him, fingertips lightly grazing my chin. I felt his breath on my face.

I stumbled back from him, slapping his hand away and getting seriously freaked out by this strange group.

The twins, still on the floor in pain, managed to laugh at the tall blonde's failure at wooing me as he randomly crouched in a dark corner.

_? _was all my brain could say. _What kind of place IS this? A cult?_ I really wanted to ask what the hell a "Host Club" was, but I didn't. _Never talk when it's not necessary_, I always told myself. _If it's important, you'll figure it out eventually._

"VINNY-CHAN!" Honey yelled and attached himself to my leg.

I jumped, freaked, but then looked down at Honey and smiled. He was the only one that had really been nice to me so far….. he really did remind me of- _NO!_ I shouted in my head. I needed to stop thinking about that. It would only cause problems.

The twins jumped back up again, ready for introductions.

"Well, as you already seem to know, that is Haninozuka Mitsukuni, Honey-senpai, 3rd year.

The one in his emo corner is our Lord Suoh Tamaki, Tamaki-senpai, King of the Host club, 2nd year." I noted the similarity of his and the Principal/Headmaster/Councelor/whatever-he-was's last name.

"That," they indicated to the glasses-stalker one, "is vice-president Ootori Kyoya, Kyoya-senpai, 2nd year.

That is Fujioka Haruhi, 1st year, a recent addition," they continued, pointing to the girl-maybe-not-maybe who waved and said hi (in a very unisex way might I add…). I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicious. _Why would she hide the fact that she's a girl?_ I thought. But the twins continued.

"and that is Morinozuka Takashi, Mori-senpai, 3rd year." I looked up at the tall dark one and made eye-contact with him for the first time. He had grey-ish black eyes that went on forever. I automatically felt calm and jittery at the same time and wanted to shiver. He nodded politely and I suddenly realized that he is the only one that I hadn't heard speak.

I held back a blush as he continued staring at me. I turned, expressionless, to the rest of the group. No-one had ever looked at me like that before. They always just took a glance and quickly looked away, like if they looked at me for too long they would explode.

I shot everyone a tiny nice-to-meet-you nod and smile and spun towards my window seat and sat down, hopehopehoping that no-one would bother me.

Thankfully, no-one did. I pulled out White Oleander by Janet Fitch, one of my favorites, and shrieking girls started pouring in through the doors. I sighed as I realized that this was going to be one long afternoon.

[][][]

I watched the 'Host Club' intently as I "read" my book. It seemed like it was just a flirt party. _What a waste of time_... I thought, but I couldn't stop watching.

Tamaki acted like an idiot, blubbering over how beautiful the girls looked today and making up cheesy lines that hardly made any sense whenever they asked a question. I snickered, expecting epic failure, but almost gaped as the girls blushed and sighed and squealed at his every move.

…_He drugged them_, I concluded.

There was no way a member of the same sex as me would stoop so low as to squeal at such a hideous attempt at chivalry. I shuddered and turned to watch the twins' tactic, the 'brotherly love' act. I twitched, then blushed and looked away, feeling like I just witnessed someone's secret indulgence in a very private act. I wasn't surprised when the girls gasped and 'awwww'-ed and teared up_. I guess Hikaru and Kaoru are closer than the last time we met_, I thought, snickering internally.

I now looked at the glasses-stalker, admiring the way he talked so smoothly, without over-doing it, but also kept up a polite level of respect for each girl, promoting items that no doubt earned the club's money. I nodded approvingly and glanced to Haruhi's table.

She- er... he was looking slightly panicked, like he didn't know exactly what to do, but he slowly got into it, smiling and making friendly comments and answering questions politely, while being funny and cute at the same time. At least once every minute the giggles from the girls at that table could be heard. I was surprised at how good she- er… HE was, for being new and all. Then I turned to look at Honey's table.

He sat with Mori, talking and eating cake and holding his ever-present pink bunny while the girls fawned over how cute and sweet and boy-lolita-ish he was. I almost smiled... he WAS really cute. Mori was silent, watching and nodding politely at the right moments. The girls batted their eyes at him and touched his arms, shrieking every time he shot them a glance. I twitched. It was so pathetic.

I glanced back at Mori only to see him looking over at me. It was these times that I was most uncomfortable. There were so many options to choose from. You could stare at them until they felt awkward and looked away (my personal favorite- normally didn't take very long), or keep looking around the room, making them think you had just made eye-contact with them when your eyes were passing by, or you can be friendly and smile at them. OR…. You can be a total imbecile like me, and blush and stick your nose in a book, automatically letting them know that you didn't want them to know you were looking at them, but then knowing that you blatantly let them know, and you know that they know that you know that they caught you. If that makes sense.

Well, anyway, the point is that I now look like an idiot in the eyes of the only person a little like me here.

**~end of C3~**

**yay. third chapter posted. i have up to chapter 12 written, and ill try to post often, cause i hatehatehate it when authors wait monthsandmonthsandmonths. but you guys should keep reviewing. and THANK YOU VERY MUCH to Asheiya, my veryvery first reviewer. i almost died when i saw it. i was like :O . so yeah. i appreciate it. thanks to you other guys who reviewed too. you rock 3. oh, and Nemo-chan, Miki gets helluh worse. xD ~RBASA**


	4. C4: My Uncontrollable Laughter

**blech. i hate how short this chapter is. wellllll hope you like it anyway? sorry i havent updated in like a week or two. yknow. life. enjoy! ~RBASA**

**oh and i dont own Ouran. or anything i mention. besides Vinny and a couple other characters. soooooo yep. *sigh* bye now. ~RBASA**

**C4: My Uncontrollable Laughter**

I sighed as I waited for the twins to finish up. The shrieking girls finally left, and I decided to help Haruhi clean up to make things go faster.

I silently picked up a couple trays, loading them with empty teacups and wiping off the rings they left. Haruhi looked at me.

"Y'know, I can do that, it's really _my_ job, not a guest's."

I just smiled at her, now confident that she was girl.

"Well, thank you." She added, realizing I wasn't going to stop, and went back to work. We cleared off everything in no time and went back to the rest of the group, who were having some sort of meeting.

"We could do historical stuff for the week," the twins suggested. "Arab, Egyptian, Roman, Medieval, Victorian. It could work."

The Stalker (which I have officially dubbed him) nodded, writing in his black book.

"I like the Roman idea," I heard Honey say. "We could dress up in togas and stuff!" he grinned. "Ne, Takashi?"

"Ah," he said. I almost cried. I actually heard his voice…

"What do you think, Haruhi?" the twins said, slinging their arms over her shoulders, smiling devilishly.

"Sure, I guess. You guys know don't really have a say in the matter anyway," She grumbled. I smiled a little, deciding I liked her. I wondered if the twins knew she was a girl… but that thought stopped in its tracks as I saw the looks on their faces. _Of course_ they knew, and they loved it.

"We could have a Victorian Masquerade Ball!" Tamaki squealed, causing the Stalker to smirk at the thought of all the money, and the twins to immediately start discussing outfit ideas.

"I'll get planning," the Stalker said, getting up from the sofa. "I'll see you all tomorrow." He walked out the door.

Taking that as a dismissal, everyone rose and said their goodbyes. I walked to the door, leaving them to it.

"You don't talk much do you?" Haruhi said, and I turned to see her barely escaping the twins' death hug and walking towards me.

I shrugged.

"Yeah," the twins chimed in. "You would talk all the time when we were little. Now you're just like Mori-senpai." They gestured to the tall, tan boy who was walking past the group towards the doors with Honey on his shoulders. "But at least he says a couple words every now and then. You're just silent."

I felt offended. Who ever said it was required to talk? I just didn't feel the need to. And besides, I had only been with them for a couple of hours. How did they know I didn't say a couple words every now and then?

I glanced at Haruhi, who had an apologetic expression on her face. 'Sorry' she mouthed. I shot her a small smile.

"SO?" the twins went on, leaning towards me. "Say something!" _Ok, peer pressure much?_ I thought sarcastically, feeling kind of trapped against the wall. Mori had stopped and was looking at the group with a solemn expression.

Luckily, Tamaki jumped in.

"YOU FOOLS!" he yelled at twins, leaping in between us dramatically. "She is quite clearly uncomfortable with this situation! She obviously doesn't like to speak. From now on, the members of this club are only allowed to ask yes and no questions to poor Princess Vienna here."

He turned and gripped my shoulders, staring into my eyes earnestly. "Vienna, don't give in to these shady twins! They are nothing but trouble and you have every freedom to exercise your right to remain silent. Stick up for what you believe in!" He cried, stabbing a finger into the air dramatically.

He spun towards the rest of the group and went on to lecture them about patriotism and equality with extravagant gestures, whatever _that_ has to do with my being quiet. The entire group got veins popping out of their heads in irritation.

I smiled. Then that smile turned into a grin and I started to laugh. I laughed and I laughed and I laughed and I laughed. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe and tears streamed down my face. I fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, laughing so hard my stomach hurt and my face turned bright red.

Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but it was contagious. They couldn't help laughing too, and soon enough the twins and Haruhi were busting up, Honey was giggling and even Mori gave a little chuckle, staring down at me with his eyebrows raised curiously.

Tamaki just smiled nervously and let out a few small chuckles, still wondering what I was laughing about. And I couldn't tell him. I didn't even know myself to tell you the truth. Maybe it was because I was so tired and this was all so ridiculous. Maybe it was because these were the weirdest people I had ever met. Maybe it was because this place is so much different than my home that I'm going crazy. Maybe it was because….. I have no idea. But I do know that it was friggin hilarious.

**~end of C4~**

**AND THERE YA HAVE IT, FOLKS! MY HORRENDOUSLY SHORT CHAPTER! its kinda lame. i know. thats why im givin ya 2 chapters today. i dont wanna just throw all my chapters out because i wanna leave you guys room to critic me. that way i can edit my other chapters according to what you say. good plan? i think YES. ~RBASA**


	5. C5: First Night in a Foreign Country

**and here is C5, just as promised. whoopdeedoo. please review! or i wont upload as fast. **

**mwahaha... threats.**

**I DONT OWN OURAN! ~RBASA**

**C5: First Night in a Foreign Country... and Continent.**

We arrived 'home' to the immense mansion and all I could do was gape. It was HUGE. I quickly grabbed my bags and ran inside, ignoring the maids, excited to choose my new room. The twins laughed as I ran up and down the hallways, searching for a room with big windows and blank walls, my two requirements.

I finally found it in the corner of the second floor. It was beautiful. It wasn't nearly as large as the rest of the rooms, but it was still huge. It had two huge windows that overlooked the yard, and the walls were pure white. I grinned. It was absolutely perfect. Maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad after all.

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**OMG this place is HUUUUUUUUUUGE. found the perfect bedroom and met a ton of hot guys in some random club I walked in on at school. u should come visit. i miss you**

I sighed and waited for her to text back….. (*bloop*)

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**AHHHHH any of them catch yur eye? DESCRIPTIONS! dont worry hun i miss you too - i wanna cry**

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**yeah like descriptions would help you at all hahaa… but yeah theres this one really quiet guy… hes tall and tan and seems real nice.**

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**OMG i cant believe it! 'tis true loooooove!**

I laughed.

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**yur such a loser. GOOD NIGHT.**

I smirked at the thought of true love and started unpacking my things. There was really no such thing as true love. It was just a nice fairytale dream to fall asleep to.

I threw up all my posters, glad to put some personality into the perfectly blank room. My Chemical Romance, the Beatles, Cake, Aerosmith, System of a Down, Black Keys, 30 Seconds to Mars, Muse, Capital Lights, Frank Sinatra, Ikimono Gakari. Yeah, I really love music. All music. Next I hung my huge bulletin board with all my pictures, movie tickets, passed notes, ads, candy wrappers, EVERYTHING from my memories in Canada with Sayer and Jame, looking over it fondly before I moved on. Lastly, I put up a blank bulletin on the other side of the room to fill with all my new memories in Japan. I jumped on my bed and examined my work. I would decorate the empty wall space when I wasn't so tired. But now… I just wanted to sleep.

But there was one thing I had to do. I pulled my plane ticket out of my pocket and tacked it in the middle of the empty board. _My first day in Japan_. Then I went to the hallway in search of a bathroom.

Hikaru and Kaoru popped up in front of me, giving me a mini heart attack.

"So… How do you like it here?" they said.

I raised my eyebrow, expectant.

"Oh," Kaoru grumbled, realization dawning on him. "Yes and no questions only."

Hikaru rolled his eyes and sighed.

"So…. Do you like it here?" they finally corrected themselves.

I grinned and nodded, laughing a little. Oh, I was so gonna have fun with this.

I skirted around them, still searching for my destination.

"Looking for a bathroom?" I heard them say.

I turned, suspicious. They had those identically mischievous smiles on their faces again. They were brewing something.

"We'll tell you where it is if you guess right… let's play the Which One is Hikaru Game!" they shouted.

I smirked. I could tell them apart any day of the week. But it wasn't worth my time. I turned, positive I could find one myself.

"You won't find one," they said, reading my mind. "And we know you won't ask one of the maids."

I grumbled and turned. I hated asking people for things, especially directions, and they knew it. What could I say? It involved unnecessary talking and half the time people gave you wrong instructions. I was better off trying to find whatever it was myself.

They smirked as they saw my defeat. "So? Which one is Hikaru?" they laughed, slinging their arms over each other's shoulders with their other hands on their hips.

I sighed. I knew Kaoru's voice was slightly higher, and I could hear it coming from the left, so I pointed to the right.

"WRONG!" they yelled, laughing. _WHATTTT?_ I thought. No. I was absolutely sure that Hikaru was on the right.

I glared at them. They were lying.

"Now, since we won," Hikaru started.

"You have to choose one of the hosts tomorrow," Kaoru continued.

"And have a REAL conversation with them." They ended in unison. I almost died. _This world is so unfair..._ I thought helplessly.

_Well you COULD just tell them off right here_, one side of my brain said.

_No. They're not worth it. Besides, that's what they want. I'll just walk home right after school tomorrow. I won't even GO to the music room_. Another side argued. I think it won, because the first side was silent.

"Oh and by the way, the bathroom is right there," they snickered, pointing at the door right next to me and skipping off.

I wanted to explode, but I kept my expression non-existent and calmly walked into the bathroom.

I took a shower and dried off, glad to be clean. I stared at myself in the mirror and sighed. I always had bags under my eyes, making me look old and haggard.

I sighed again, popping my sleeping pills into my mouth. I had had sleeping problems for a while now. I always had the same nightmare over and over…. And I always woke up somewhere else. I was a chronic sleepwalker and it was getting worse. It used to be that I would end up across the room or down the hall, but lately I'd been ending up on the sidewalk or in someone else's yard. I always had to find my way back, making me lose almost all my precious sleep time trying to figure out which way I came. _Maybe it will be better in Japan_, I thought. _Maybe I just needed the Canada air out of my head._

It was an empty thought, because even as I thought it I knew I didn't believe it. I sighed and decided there was no avoiding it.

I walked back across the hall to my new room and plopped on the bed, closing my eyes.

**~end of C5~**

**hmmmm i have C6 all set and ready to go... if only people reviewed more i could put it up... such a tragedy. ~RBASA**


	6. C6: Yet Another Day

**HUZZAH! thanks for reviewing, guys! specificallyyy: **Michie Kiyomi** and **pacificatlantic**!**

**because they were the only two that friggin did.**

**so yep! thank you guys! you rock! xD**

**and all you other bums all get a chapter as a reward, thanks to them. ^^**

**oh and i dont own what im writing about. which is ouran. *tear* ~RBASA**

**C6: Yet Another Day…**

I opened my eyes with a scream, terrified of my nightmare once again. Then I realized where I was and gasped. I was standing waist deep in a freezing cold pond. _Jesus Christ!_ I thought. _This has to stop._

I waded to the shore and looked around. All I could see was gray and mist. I guessed it was about 5 o'clock. I shivered, wishing I hadn't worn a baggy tshirt and shorts to bed.

I wandered around, scanning everything for anything familiar. Nope, nadda. I couldn't see a thing through this mist. I shivered. It was so cold… I wanted to crouch down and cry. _You know that won't help anything, _my brain told me. _Crying is for when the weak having nothing left to do. _

After what seemed like hours, I caught a glimpse of the shadow of what I hoped was the Hitachiin estate. I ran up to it, trying to recall what the house had looked like last night. _They seem the same_… I thought doubtfully as I opened one of the doors.

I stepped inside, sighing gratefully as the heat enveloped me, and ran up the big staircase, down the hall, and into my room. I glanced at the clock. 5:53. I wanted to cry. My alarm would ring in 7 minutes. Well, better make the most of it, I thought. I closed my eyes and tried to rest, ignoring the fact that I was still soaked and shivering.

**BLEEP BLEEPBLEEP BLEEP BLEEPBLEEP BLEEP BLEEPBLEEP BLEEP BLEEPBLEEP!** my alarm clock screamed, defiantly against me in my seemingly never-ending battle of a good-night's sleep.

I reached over and snatched it up, desperately searching for the switch. _MAKE IT STOP!_ my brain wailed. I gave up and threw it against the wall, smiling in satisfaction as I watched it shatter and die, the sound disappearing.

I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

.

…

…

…..

…

…

.

I woke up with a start, realizing how much deep shit I was in. The sun was up and streaming through my window. _Oh no…_ I thought. Late on the second day of school. I leapt out of bed and got dressed, a black Alesana tshirt and black jeans with a cute black and white striped vest.

I jammed a piece of toast into my mouth and ran down the streets to my school, knowing full well that I would miss my first period class.

_I hate this planet_… I thought as I reached the pink school, breathing heavily.

[][][]

Last period came suddenly, the rest of my day gone in a flash. I dreaded the thought of going back to the Host Club and having to subject myself to sit with one of those fools and fake-flirt. Although I respected the Stalker's way of going about things, I didn't really feel comfortable sitting down and talking sweet with him just yet.

Of course, there was the idea of choosing the twins and having a real conversation with THEM about how painfully and manically I was going to torture them when we all got home, but….. Then there was also the idea that I could sit with Honey and Mori. Honey would just sit and talk about how much he loved sweets, and Mori wouldn't say a word. I could do that.

But I didn't want to. I would rather just go home and be a bum, like I normally would.

I sighed and stalked into my last period class, ready to face the giggling girls. I had gotten used to them, able to tune them out at this point, but if Barbie-Miki made another smart comment I didn't know if I would be able to restrain myself from snapping her tiny neck.

I sat down at my seat, flashing Honey (..and Mori) a tiny smile.

The class ended without any major disturbances, to my great relief. Although, I did catch Mori looking at me one time, which made my heart catch a little… I shook my head, ridding myself of a thought process that could only go downhill.

I silently gathered my books and slipped out the door, planning to walk home and skip club.

"Vinny-chan?" I heard from behind me. I turned.

"You aren't coming to the Host Club today?" he said softly, looking up at me with sad eyes.

I shook my head with a small, sad smile.

His eyes welled up. "Pleeeeeeeease come?" he said, tugging at my sleeve.

My eyes welled up too. I was a sucker for the puppy dog eyes. I blinked and sighed, rolling my eyes.

_I guess it couldn't be all that horrible…._

Honey yelled in delight as he saw my dejected expression and dragged me along with him and Mori, down the hallway in the opposite direction, to the 3rd Music Room.

**~end of C6~**

**there ya go. **

**like it? review. dont? REVIEW. **

**you guys know the drill. just pressing that little button right below and saying: **

**"RBASA IS THE BEST!" (which i would agree with you on) **

**or "RBASA DOES VINNY EVER TALK EVER?" (which i would gladly answer for you)**

**or "RBASA YOU SPELLED A WORD WRONG YOU LOSER!" (which i would quickly edit after the initial shock of being called a loser) **

**or ANYTHING OF THE SORT (that isnt flames) will (i promise) earn you another chapter.**

**so do it. (please) **

**~RBASA**


	7. C7: Just Another LetDown

**BWAHAHA more reviews! thanks guys! ESPECIALLY: **pacificatlantic **(again. ^^ I LOVE YOU), **Rainspiral ( **,** Fluer Moonrose Lampourge **, and** Chlo3.

**SO! woopwoop you guys are awesome. i cannot express my gratitude. *bows***

**ALRIGHTY. wellll this chapter makes me sad. so read it. ^^**

**ps. **Nemo-chan**! be prepared for obcene amounts of bitch in here. unfortunately, i did not make her suffer a slow and painful death, as requested. but you can use your imagination! ^^**

**i dont own ouran, blahblahblah..**

**i wish i did, blahblahblah... ~RBASA**

**C7: Just Another Let-Down**

Honey dragged my dead body inside, expressionless Mori following close behind. I sighed and caught a glimpse of the twins sniggering at me. I glared an unfathomably evil glare and they silenced themselves, suddenly seeming busy. I rolled my eyes and Honey let me go. I stalked off to my window seat again, pulling out my book.

The twins sauntered up to me, looking smug. "You'll have to choose your pick near the end, when everyone's leaving, as to not disturb the guests' allotted time."

I just rolled my eyes and they skipped away.

I decided to wander around a bit, maybe find a secluded room to chill. I walked passed Mori and Honey's table, trying not to blush as Mori's eyes made contact with mine. I walked a little faster and jumped into the first door I saw, taking a deep breath. I had to stop thinking about that guy. I sighed and looked around. It was a small room, with a few more couches and a grand piano. I smiled jumped over the back of one of the couches….. only to land on a girl.

_WTFFF?_ my brain screamed as I leapt off her. The girl just groaned and rolled over. _Jesus, heavy sleeper much?_

I looked down at her. She seemed to be the same age as me, but a bit taller, with the prettiest black hair I had ever seen. She snored, drooling a little. I sweatdropped.

I walked out the door, over to Kyoya's table. He was clearly the brains behind this whole organization, and I couldn't think of anyone else better to go to. I grabbed his wrist, interrupting his continued promotion of club items, and dragged him into the room, ignoring the protests of his clients.

"I would really prefer if you didn't steal me away from my customers…. oh," he stopped when he saw the girl. "I see," he pushed up his glasses.

He just stared at her for a good 5 minutes. I cleared my throat.

"I guess we'll just leave her until after the club. We'll wake her then." He walked out of the room, returning back to his waiting table.

_Well… that wasn't weird_.

I sighed. Now I had to babysit an unconscious girl. I flopped onto one of the other couches, closing my eyes, grateful for a quick rest.

I was just about to slip into unconsciousness when I leapt up. _WHAT AM I DOING! I CAN'T FALL ASLEEP HERE!_ I would just end up sleep walking somewhere and everyone would ask questions. I had never sleepwalked (sleptwalk? sleep-wok-id?) in the day before, but I sure as hell wasn't going to take any chances.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and pulled out my book, glancing at the girl again. Now that I saw her more closely, she seemed rather gaunt and dirty. _I wonder what her story is… _I sighed and turned back to my book.

As it was turning time for the club to end, I walked out and straight to Kyoya. He turned to me. I raised my eyebrows, holding my arm out to the room with the sleeping girl. He pushed up his glasses and said, "As soon as all the last guests leave."

The twins popped up on either side of me as Kyoya walked away. My heart leapt in surprise and I glared at them. "Time to choose!" they shouted in a singsong voice. Honey skipped over.

"Choose what?" he said innocently.

"Vinny has to choose a host and have a conversation with them. A REAL converstation," they explained, still smug.

"Ooh Vinny-chan! Choose me and Takashi!" he shouted, jumping up and down. Not giving me even the chance to answer, he dragged me over to their table.

Unfortunately, there was already someone there. The girl in the yellow dress turned when she heard us, and I had a hard time maintaining my non-existent expression when I saw Barbie-Miki stroking Mori's strong arm. As soon as she saw me she got a sly smile on her face. Honey sat me down on the chair next to him, across from Mori and Barbie.

"Well well well," she smirked. "Look what we have here."

I could've slapped her, but I just shot her a small, polite smile. I might have horrible thoughts of murdering her on the inside, but that doesn't mean I have to show it.

"Silent as ever, I see. Too afraid to talk." she laughed.

_Ummm… hypocritical much?_ I thought, glancing at her hand on the other silent teen's arm. _Talk about the pot calling the kettle black… er… talk about the girl stroking the pot calling the… whatever._ I just ignored her and looked over to Honey, who was stuffing his adorable face full of cake. I smiled.

"What are you smiling at, girl? Hmm? Answer me!" she snarled. _Jesus, lady_. I thought. _Go jump off a cliff. _I stared at her levelly.

She leaned forward, her arm still on Mori's. "You don't belong here, street rat. This school is for the high class, not scum like you," she whispered and spat at the same time (quite an impressive feat, I must say), loud enough for only me (and most likely Mori) to hear. I kept my gaze as solid as ice, never wavering or blinking once.

"I'm just glad to finally be rid of this place," she added, sitting up and speaking louder, suddenly talking to everyone at the table. "I would never want to be in attendance of a place that allows the likes of _you_ in here." she sneered, lifting her lip in disgust. I couldn't believe she was _still_ talking. I mean, honestly, how long can you really have a conversation with yourself?

"But I _will _miss _you_ my dear. Brazil is awfully far away, and the plane leaves at 4. You will miss me too, right? After all, I won't be coming back." she continued sweetly, turning to Mori, stroking his arm again. He shot her a tiny smile and she grinned evilly. I felt betrayed. He _smiled_ at her. That bitch. How could he _smile_ at that _bitch_?

"Well, I must be going," she went on. I almost rolled my eyes. _Like __**we**__ care_. "Come, Takashi. Walk me to the door." she twined her fingers with his as he stood. _Wait, he's actually going? _I felt like a knife was just stabbed into my back. She shot me a malicious smile. I watched helplessly as they walked to the door, still holding hands.

I saw her talking avidly; gesturing with her hands about something, and then tap her cheek, leaning forward. Mori leaned down to kiss her cheek, but at the last second she turned her head, so they kissed each other full on the mouth. He didn't seem to pull back. I jerked my head away, refusing to watch. I stared at the spot where she had sat until my eyes saw red. I hoped her plane crashed and burned.

"Vinny-chan, you're bleeding!" Honey exclaimed, pointing to my hands. I had been digging my nails into my palm the entire conversation. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I saw Mori sit back down and I stood, looking down at him. I shook my head, disgusted. I had thought we had had some kind of connection, the non-talkers. How wrong I was. But, how could I really expect more? This place was full of bastards, besides Honey and maybe Haruhi.

I walked slowly out of the room. _No need to let anger get the best of you,_ I whispered in my head. I made it to the bathroom and stuck my hand under the running water, fighting tears. And here I thought he was different. And practically blushed every time he looked at me! God, how stupid WAS I? I sighed and wrapped my hand in a paper towel. I pulled out my phone.

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**scratch what i said last night about tall-tan-quiet guy. hes a douche.**

**.**

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**should i even ask?**

**.**

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**NO.**

**.**

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**well u said there were other guys, right? tell me about THEM, not the douchebag. hes quite obviously not worth yur time.**

I sighed.

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**well… theres a blonde idiot, a glasses stalker, and a really cute one thats like little kid… but hes older than me haha….. then theres the twins, but they dont count.**

**.**

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**so, the blonde is out, and the lil boy is out cuz tht would be exceedingly creepy, and the twins and the douchebag r out. so that leaves the stalker. he cant be THAT bad.**

**.**

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**you dont even know. as soon as i walked in the door he was reciting my name and all my achievements and where I lived and junk….. he didnt go on tho. idk if he knows…**

**.**

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**well what would be so bad if he did? it HAPPENED, vinn, theres no avoiding it.**

**.**

**To: SaySay**

**From: VinnVinn**

**im not avoiding anything, i just dont mention it every time i meet someone new. pitys the last thing I want.**

It took her a few minutes to respond this time.

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**you still havent said anything, have you?**

I stared at the screen. The truth was, no. I hadn't said anything. In a very long time. It must have been months. If I was being brutally honest, I couldn't remember what my voice sounded like. A silent tear slid down my cheek.

Sayer was always worrying about me. But, in truth, I was fine, totally fine. But my subconscious seemed to disagree. It was like all of my emotions and fears and worries and stresses went into my sleep, instead of my regular life, like normal people.

I phone blooped again (*bloop*) and I jumped.

**To: VinnVinn**

**From: SaySay**

**please talk. for your own good. i think it might help you with the sleepwalking thing. you can make it really dramatic too. like 'OMG THE GIRL THAT NEVER TALKS JUST SAID SOMETHING REALLY DEEP AND INTENSE!' kinda thing. it could be fun. just TRY. please.**

I sighed, wiping the lone tear away. She was probably right. _Ok_, I said to myself. _Just try_. I took a deep breath and began walking back to the club.

I walked straight past everyone into the room with the girl. It was time to wake her up.

**~end of C7~**

**boom.**

**personally, i am very proud of Vinn for not getting up and strangling Miki. but... as a side note, lets just say that some errant lightning bolt decided it was a good time to strike a very certain private plane.**

**aw crap. i apologize if any of you took offense to that, i dont really know if anyone you guys know was in a plane crash or anything like that... so please dont hold me to it. jeez, i cant really say anything without somebody getting offended, can i?**

**OH. curses. i just realized that i used words like "Jesus" in this chapter. please know that i am not trying to promote any religion or anything like that. and all those bands i listed a few chapters back... yeah, i dont own those either. ALL RIGHT FROM NOW ON LETS JUST ASSUME I AM NOT IMPLYING, PROMOTING, OR PURPOSELY TRYING TO OFFEND ANYONE/THING. AND THAT I DONT OWN ANYTHING BUT VINN AND MY OTHER OCs AND... WELL THATS IT.**

**OH! THE PLOT. I DO OWN THAT.**

**SO YEAH. THANKS. (PS. KEEP REVIEWING.)**

**~RBASA**


	8. C8: A New Friend

**SO. i love you all.**

**veryvery much.**

**i got a bunch of reviews! you guys make my day.**

**in this chapta, youll meet another one of my OCs. funfunfun. i thought alotalotalot about whether i should keep her in this story, and i decided to. (and now she's kind of a main character by accident.)**

**welllll be sure to tell me whether you think it was a good idea or not.**

**and i do notnotnot own ouran. (as much as i would like to.)**

**~RBASA**

**C8: A New Friend**

I shook her shoulder and she moaned, turning over. I shook her shoulder again. This time she shifted, and her shirt was pulled up a little, exposing her stomach and side. I almost gasped.

There were bruises all along her body, but none were visible under her clothes. I panicked, looking to the door and seeing the hosts filing in, curious to the new arrival. I quickly grabbed the table runner off the coffee table in front of the couch, covering her with it like a blanket.

The hosts all crowded behind me. I shook her shoulder again. She didn't budge. I sighed and grabbed my Ipod off of the table, put my bulky headphones over her ears, and turned up My Chemical Romance's 'House of Wolves' really loud.

She shot upright, gasping and ripping the headphones off her ears. She opened her eyes wide, er- no. She wasn't opening them wide… they were just huge. Huge and green. Very green. She looked around at everyone, delicate eyebrows furrowing. I expected her to say something like "who are you" or "where am I" but she just looked me dead in the eye and said, "I love that song."

I grinned. I could sense a great friendship in the making.

Kyoya stepped forward. "Hello, my name is Ootori Kyouya. Might I ask what you are doing here?"

She eyed him up and down. "No," she said, finalizing THAT conversation. I laughed. 5 words in and I already loved this girl.

She stood up and dusted herself off. "Might I ask why you are all staring at me?" she said.

"Why, because you are so beautiful, my sleeping beauty," Tamaki said, his hosting instincts kicking in. He stepped forward and took her hand. He bent down politely to kiss it and-

She snatched her hand away violently, the scariest look I had ever seen burning deep in her eyes. "Never. Touch me. Again."

Now everyone was snickering, including Kyoya, who was smirking. Tamaki crouched in his emo corner, whimpering.

She turned to me. "_You _seem rational. What's your name?"

_Well, Vinn, here goes_, I thought, kind of nervous. I opened my mouth and-

"That's our cousin, Vienna Vollomon. She moved here from Canada just yesterday," the twins said, slinging their arms over my shoulders. "She doesn't talk," they stage-whispered behind their hands.

The girl raised her eyebrows, saying 'oh really?'.

I took a deep breath, trying to conceal and tone down my immense anger. The ONE TIME I try to talk and these _IDIOTS_ **INTERRUPT **ME? I failed completely at staying calm.

I gripped one of their arms (I think it was Kaoru) and flipped him up and over my back, slamming him into the ground in front of me.

"Kao-!" Hikaru started, but I thrust my elbow into his stomach. He doubled over and I seized the back of his neck with my hand, squeezing just where the pressure points were. He fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed. Everyone else in the room sweatdropped, while Kyoya just scribbled something in his black book. Mori just stared, expressionless.

I pretended like nothing happened and turned to the girl. "Vinny," I said, holding my hand out for her to shake. She did. I was glad my voice didn't come out shaky, but it still surprised me. It felt strange to hear words in my own voice after such a long time.

"Midori," she introduced herself to me, looking at the twins. Kaoru drooled. Hikaru twitched.

She smiled, letting go of my hand. "I think I like you," she stated matter-of-factly. I smiled back.

The twins groaned and started to stand up.

In the background of all of this, I heard "Takashi! She talked!" from Honey.

"Ah." He said. I resisted the urge to march over there and slap him across his fat old face.

"Midori means 'green', doesn't it?" Haruhi threw in.

"Yeah, it does," Midori laughed. "I never really had a name, so that's just what people have always called me. I think you can guess why." She stared at us with her massive, glowing green eyes.

"You never had a name?" Honey asked curiously, eyes wide.

"No," she said. "I mean, I hate to spew out my life story all over you guys, but I was abandoned as a baby. This real nice guy, Frank, took me in and taught me everything I know. I worked in his restaurant and lived a good life. Well, until I was 9."

"What happened when you were 9?" Haruhi asked.

"Frank died. Was murdered, actually, but no one could prove it." She shrugged.

"Then how do you know he was murdered?" Kyoya asked. His tone was mildly amused, but his expression was serious and interested.

"Because he was my dad, that's why," she stated strongly. "His brother, Willy, murdered him so he could take over the restaurant. But he didn't know I existed. That's his punishment, I guess." She stared at the ground.

I realized with a jolt that that's where the bruises came from. He beat her. Since she was _nine_. I felt sorry for her, but I recognized the look in her eye. She didn't want pity. That was the last thing she wanted.

"Isn't Willy looking for you then?" Honey asked innocently.

She snorted. "Hell, no. ER- Heck, no." She frowned at Honey. "He's probably rejoicing. Heck, he's probably sad I didn't run away sooner."

"You ran away? Why did you come _here_?" Haruhi asked, incredulous.

She shrugged. "I've always dreamed of going to school here, so when I was wandering around, I guess my subconscious led me here."

I frowned. If her subconscious leadings meant something, did that mean mine did too? I had no time to ponder though, the conversation was still going.

"You said you never had a name," Kyoya started, pushing up his glasses. "Why didn't Frank get you registered and adopt you?"

She shrugged again. "I think he knew that if he did, they wouldn't let him keep me. So, he kept me a secret."

"So, you have no identity, and no idea of who your parents are?" Tamaki asked, sounding genuinely concerned and (shockingly) not like an idiot.

"Um, excuse me, but I _do_ have an identity, it just doesn't happen to be official or legal or whatever. And no, why would I care? They _abandoned_ me remember? Frank was my parent. And he's gone."

"Well, we must find you a home!" Tamaki shouted, excited once again. "You can stay here, and to repay us, you can work for the Host Club!"

Everyone was shocked.

There was a short silence before Midori spoke up again. "Um, thanks and all, but that doesn't really help me. Y'see, I need to find a lawyer."

"And why is that?" Tamaki asked, only sounding a little hurt that his enormous offer was being brushed off so easily.

"So I can get my official/legal/whatever identity, and prove that my father was murdered? Duh, why else?"

"Well, until you get that all settled out, because it will probably take a while, you can stay here. Vinny and Haruhi will lend you some of their clothes." Kyoya said, writing in his notebook again.

I glared at him. _**I**_ was going to offer that. Now it just looked like I was following orders. I sighed.

She clasped her hands together. "So…. introductions? I know you're Kyoya, you're Vinny and…. you're Haruhi." She pointed to each of us.

"What?" Hikaru said. "How did you know that was Haruhi?"

"Well… Kyoya said that Vinny and Haruhi would lend me some clothes, and, besides Vinny, she's the only girl I see here."

"WHHHATTTTT?" Tamaki and the twins said at the same time. They started blubbering about how manly and buff and strong and handsome Haruhi was, lifting her arms and patting her head.

I snickered.

She turned to me, shoving the boys off her. "You knew the whole time too, didn't you?" she asked

I shrugged, smirking a little.

"HELLOO PEOPLE? INTRODUCTIONS PLEASE! FOR THE **SECOND** TIME!" Midori yelled.

I could see she did not like to repeat herself.

The twins popped up and went through the same process they did with me, in the very beginning. It was so hard to believe that that was just yesterday.

I couldn't help but notice that Midori's eyes lingered on Kyoya the longest. Sayer's words popped into my mind. _'Tis true looooooooooove!_ I smirked.

We all said our goodbyes. Honey leapt into my arms, squeezing the life out of me as I hugged him back, simultaneously waving bye to Haruhi. I nodded to Kyoya as I put Honey down, patting his head. I turned and shook hands with Midori. It was funnily formal, but seemed fitting.

Don't ask me why.

Tamaki tackled the both of us, screaming about two newfound daughters. We rolled our eyes at each other. I was glad to see that she was already more tolerant of him.

In the end, the plan was.. well. Midori would live at the school, and we would come with food and clothes until we found her a better living arrangement. It all seemed… pretty sketchy to me. I wanted to ask if the janitors would find out or what would happen if any of the faculty walked in… but I trusted Kyoya-sempai wouldn't be so stupid to overlook such things, so I let it go.

We parted our ways, Kyoya promising Midori that we would come back tomorrow with food and clothes. She thanked him and we left.

The twins shoved me into the limo, refusing to let me walk home on a Friday. I sighed, too tired to put up a fight.

I packed a bag for Midori and spent the rest of my day relaxing, just sitting around and being lazy. It's one of my many skills.

I fell asleep a lot quicker that night. _Maybe Sayer was right,_ I thought as my eyes slid closed. _Maybe talking, even if it's just a little, __**does**__ help._

**~end of C8~**

**mehhhhh. no comment.**

**just tell me what you guys think.**

**OH! and im taking requests! since im not done with the story yet, if you guys want the club to go to like... the... i dunno... the zoo. or to the beach. (theyre already going to the beach, i just cant think of anything. WHICH IS WHY I NEED YOU GUYS!) so just put it in your review and ill see if i can work it out, just for you! ^^**

**KEEP REVIEWING GUYS, I LOVE YOU! *hugs you all***

**~RBASA**


	9. C9: Never Ever Wake Me Up Ever

**:O ****you. guys. are. awesome.**

**i went to check my email and BOOM! 15 new emails from fanfiction! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**and this time i brought a special guest to tell you a very... important... *cough*depressing*cough* message. Welcome, Vinny!**

**Vinn: ...**

**Me: ... could you tell them, please?**

**Vinn: ...**

**Me: ...yeah, thanks for the help. *sigh* i dont own ouran, folks. just vinny here. whoopdeedoo.**

**Vinn: ...**

**Me: not that you arent special, Vinn! thats not what i meant at all. really.**

**Vinn: ...**

**Me: hehehe... ^^" well... alright. just read the frigin chapter. ****~RBASA**

**C9: Never Ever Wake Me Up. Ever.**

_The blood was everywhere. In the sand, in the water, on the medics. All I heard was the screaming, the screaming._

_My mother ran up to me. "This is __**YOUR**__ FAULT!" she shrieked wildly, tears running endlessly down her cheeks. "ALL __**YOUR**__ FAULT!"_

_I fell to my knees, staring out at the murky water._

I woke with a scream once again. I shivered in the cold, glancing around. I was in a tree. In a fucking tree. How random were these places going to get?

I climbed down and scanned my surroundings. A regular suburban neighborhood. Although familiar enough to me, a born and raised suburbanite, it was the farthest thing from comforting.

I sighed and started walking.

**[][][]**

Someone was poking me. I groaned and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep. They didn't stop. Word of advice, don't wake me up. It only ends badly.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. Wake up. It's practically noon." I heard two voices say. _The twins_. I thought. _They won't live to see another day._

"C'mooooooooooooon Vinny! WAKEY WAKEY!" they started poking me harder. And yelling louder.

I wanted to cry. Instead, I rolled over again to face them and opened my eyes a slit.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" they shrieked, jumping back and clinging to each other. "K-K-Kyoya! She's worse than _you_! HELP!"

_Idiots_. _Wait- What? Kyoya?_ Why was _he_ here?

I saw him walk into my room from the hallway. He looked at me and pushed his glasses up, making them glare. My eyes slid closed again.

I heard him say something, but I was too far gone to comprehend. I gladly fell back asleep.

**[][][]**

I woke up to hear voices. I couldn't really understand what they were saying, but I was too tired to really care.

_Wait… where am I?_ I suddenly realized I was not in my room. _Shit did I sleepwalk again?_ I never sleepwalked/sleptwalk/sleptwalked twice in one night!

I opened my eyes a slit and found I was staring directly at black. Whaaaa…? I thought. I realized my arms were dangling below me.

_Why aren't I laying down?_ I thought, but my eyes slid shut again. _Whatever. I'll find out later_.

Then I felt the warm hand on the small of my back. My eyes shot open, and I realized I was slung over someone's shoulder, their hand on my back to keep me from sliding off. I was staring straight at their back.

I gasped and struggled, squirming and kicking, thinking only the random and highly unlikely thoughts of the half-asleep.

_OH MY GOD I'M BEING KIDNAPPED! I'VE BEEN ABDUCTED BY ALIENS! I'M BEING SOLD INTO SLAVERY!_

I struggled even more. There was no way in _hell_ I was gonna be an alien slave. I heard a satisfying grunt as my knee caught the kidnapper's stomach, and his hand slid from my back.

I felt myself falling, and I braced myself for impact, but I was already in someone else's arms.

I looked up into purple eyes, grateful to him for saving me, but then I thought, _OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT IF HE'S AN ALIEN TOO! _And struggled once more, slamming the heel of my hand into his face.

I landed on the hard floor with a big thud, and I got up as quickly as I could, ready to fight off any attackers.

I looked, around, wobbling slightly, blinking to clear my fuzzy sleep-vision. I blinked again, rubbing my temples, but all I saw was the Host Club.

The twins were snickering in the back of the room along with a smirking Midori and Kyoya, and Honey was sprawled across a couch giggling as Haruhi read a book beside him. Tamaki was a few feet away from me, looking dumbfounded, and Mori was staring down at me with his eyebrows raised the tiniest bit.

I frowned as I caught on. Mori must have been carrying me, and Tamaki had to have been the unlucky guy I landed on and attacked.

I straightened and blushed a little. _They must all think I'm so stupid_. Then it dawned on me. Mori had been _carrying _me.

"Um… Are you okay?" Midori asked, still smiling a little.

I ignored her and turned to Mori. _How __**dare**__ you_. I thought. _How __**DARE**__ you_. I thought my glare could've burned holes in his retinas, but he just stared back at me.

"You wouldn't wake up so we had to resort to having Mori carry you here." Kyoya explained, pushing up his glasses and making them glare in the sunlight.

_AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST LEFT ME THERE?_ I wanted so badly to scream.

"And no, we couldn't have just left you there because Tamaki demanded that we stay together as a family. And besides, you had some of the essentials we had to give to Midori." He said, reading my mind. I grumbled. _Of course_ Tamaki would demand that.

I glared back at Mori. His hands had been ON me. I almost shivered, feeling dirty and violated.

He just stared back, expressionless, neither of us blinking or wavering once.

"OOOooooh! Stare-down." The twins exclaimed. They started to take bets.

"Looks like there's some beef between them." Midori shrugged, but her eyes were burning with curiosity.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but they were caught in an undying battle with Mori's. I couldn't help but notice again that his eyes were that amazing never-ending gray, and I felt warm and freezing at the same time. My hands clenched into fists at my sides.

Midori sighed after a while, marching up to us. "Helllloooooooooo?" she said, waving a hand in front of each of our faces. "It's about time to come back from La-la land, or wherever the hell you guys are."

I didn't move a muscle.

Neither did he.

I refused to be the first one to move. , I chanted in my head. _, Iwillnotwaver._

She sighed and grabbed my wrist, dragging me away. I continued to glare over my shoulder at him.

I saw Honey tug at his sleeve and he looked down at the same time I looked away.

"AWWWWWWWWWWW," the twins exclaimed, pouting. "It's a draw."

I hid my tiny smile. I would never admit this to ANYONE EVER, but I was secretly glad neither of us won.

Don't ask me why.

Midori sat me down on the couch and just looked at me.

"Ya gonna tell me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

I raised my eyebrows back. _You really think I'm going to waste my breath on telling you something that is absolutely none of your business?_

"So what Kyoya said is true," she started. _When did you talk to Kyoya and why were you talking about me?_ I wanted to ask, but she continued. "Yesterday, when you told me your name, was the first time you talked."

I didn't say anything. (shocker.)

"In how long?" she asked, leaning back into the couch.

_Since when is this any of __**your**__ business?_ I wanted to say, but I was secretly glad. No one ever really paid any attention to me before, never mind asked questions about me.

I just shrugged.

She let out an exasperated sigh, throwing her hands up and plopping down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "Y'know, sometimes you can be a real pain." She said as if she had known me forever.

I smiled down at her. I really liked this girl.

The day went on, everyone just hanging around talking, glad not to have any guests to entertain.

I showed her what I brought her. I few pairs of jeans, a couple shirts, couple shorts, and a pair of flip flops. I had also thrown in some random books and my old Polaroid camera. It was the kind that spat out the picture as soon as you took it, and you had to wave it in the air for the ink to show. I really loved that camera, but I never really used it anymore, and I figured it would be of more use to her than me.

"OH MY TACOS ARE YOU **GIVING** THIS TO ME?" She screamed.

I shook my head emphatically, throwing up my hands to stop her.

She edited slowly. "You're letting me borrow it?"

I nodded slowly too. _And if you break it in even the tiniest way possible I swear on Santa's life that I will maim and torture your body so disgustingly thoroughly that even malnourished vultures won't want to eat you when I'm finished._

"And if I break it in even the tiniest way possible you swear on Santa's life that you will maim and torture my body so disgustingly thoroughly that even malnourished vultures won't want to eat me when you're finished?" she said slowly, wide-eyed.

I nodded again.

"OKAY!" she screamed, overjoyed. She wrapped her arm around my neck, pulling me close to her side and snapping a photo as she grinned wildly.

The camera spat the photo out and she waved it around, jumping up and down. She looked at it and started laughing. I raised my eyebrows.

She shoved the picture in my face. "Looks like you've got yourself a secret admirer." She whispered and skipped off, laughing.

I looked at the photo.

The camera hadn't been aimed directly at our faces, so it only got the top of our heads. You could see her excited green ones, and my startled stormy blue ones, and then what was in the background. Honey and Mori sat on a couch off to the side. Honey was happily stuffing his face full of cake, while Mori…

I gasped and turned to look at them, only to see Mori wiping frosting from a giggling Honey's mouth.

I looked back at the photo. Mori was staring directly at me, the tiniest smile I had ever seen on his face.

He was LOOKING at me. I shivered involuntarily. _No. He must have been thing about something funny and happened to be looking over in our direction… He could have been looking past us or at Midori… _but there was no denying it. He was clearly staring at me. _Well…_ I thought back to my excuses for looking at someone. _He could have been looking around the room and just happened to have his eyes land on me the moment the picture was taken. _I nodded. That had to be it.

When it was finally time to leave, we all said our goodbyes. Honey leapt into my arms again, and I waved to Haruhi. Midori jumped on my back, making me squeak, forcing all of us (mainly me) to promise to come back tomorrow. She leapt off of me and we shook hands.

I hopped into the limo with the twins, every once in a while stealing a secret glance at the photo. I didn't know why, but I couldn't stop looking at it. Then I gasped. _MY IPOD!_ I screamed internally. Kaoru had been thoughtful enough this morning to grab it for me, knowing I couldn't survive a few hours without it. I had thanked him with a huge hug when I found out.

I leapt out of the limo just as it was pulling away from the school. I ran inside and sprinted through the halls to the music room. I rounded a corner and- BAM!

I slammed straight into Kyoya. He smirked as he helped me up. "You forget something too?"

I nodded, smiling a little. _Maybe Sayer's right…_ I thought. _Kyoya isn't so bad… _But I shook the thought away. _Midori practically has dibs. Besides, he really is kind of creepy_. I thought back to my first day. I would need to find his secret files on everyone. They could become useful someday.

We walked into the music room and over to Midori's door. She had adopted it as her room, using the sofas as beds and the tables as dressers. I knocked softly and poked my head in, scanning.

I stepped inside and almost gasped as I saw Midori standing in front of the mirror Tamaki had brought in for her. She had changed into a pair of my shorts and one of Haruhi's tanktops, and was lifting up her shirt to examine the awful cuts and bruises all over her back and sides.

I shoved my hand in Kyoya's face, shoving him out the door before he could see. "What-" he started, but I slammed the door in his face.

Midori gasped and spun towards me, hastily pulling her shirt down. We just stared at each other for a few seconds.

Then Kyoya opened the door. "Vien-" he started, but stopped as soon as he saw Midori. She had pulled her tanktop down, but the bruises were still painfully visible. "… I'll get my medical kit." He said tonelessly after a few agonizing seconds.

She sighed and turned back to the mirror. I started to take a step towards her. "I don't want pity." She said.

I nodded, taking another step. Her eyes locked with mine through the mirror. "You already knew, didn't you?" she said.

I nodded again.

She sighed again. "Second day in and my secret's already out." She laughed a little.

I shook my head. No. Kyoya would never say a word (I'd see to _that_) and she knew as well as anyone that I wouldn't say anything.

Kyoya walked back in with the medical kit from his limo.

I sighed and pulled out my phone.

**To: Kaoru**

**From: Vinny**

**hey just go. i think im gonna be a while.**

Kyoya handed her the box. "There's Advil and Tylenol for the pain, and instant icepacks if it gets bad." He said.

She took it and looked at him with such thanks and gratitude in her eyes I felt that I was intruding on some private emotion fest.

He gave her a small smile and I swear to god she blushed a little. _Oh god, she's a goner_. I thought, shaking my head a little.

My phone blooped (*bloop*).

**To: Vinny**

**From: Kaoru**

**um ok… y what happened?**

**.**

**To: Kaoru**

**From: Vinny**

**i think im witnessing the start of true love.**

**.**

**To: Vinny**

**From: Kaoru**

**?**

**.**

**To: Kaoru**

**From: Vinny**

**dont ask. if im right itll show up sooner or later.**

I left, leaving them to themselves, and spent the rest of my Saturday doing absolutely nothing. It was great.

I felt kind of nervous about leaving them alone, but I shook it off. It would all turn out well, I was sure. I didn't know why, but I trusted Kyoya.

It took forever to fall asleep that night. An hour and a half after I had gone to bed I was still tossing and turning. Finally I just got up, not sure what to do. Then it hit me.

I grabbed the pants I had been wearing that day off the floor and pulled the photo out from my pocket. I looked at it again, blushing a little.

_WAIT WHAT THE HELL WHY AM I BLUSHING? I HATE THAT DOUCHEBAG!_ I bit my lip and pinched myself. _Get a hold of yourself woman._ I told myself sternly. Then I grabbed a tack and attached the photo to my practically empty bulletin. I smiled, glad that I was making _some_ progress, and climbed back into bed.

**~end of C9~**

**^^ i like this chapter. its sweet.**

**but what i think isnt important, its what you guys think! so yay for that review button down there!**

**and dont forget to request stuff if you get any ideas. ill be more than happy to try them out.**

**UGH. ive still only got up to chapter 12 written, and you guys are already on chapter 9. i have to get writing. wish me luck.**

**~RBASA**


	10. C10: Yet Again They Woke Me Up

**yayyy. another chapter for all you awesome people out there.**

**and yes, i AM talking to you, even if you didn't review, because you are still putting in the effort to read this, which makes my day. ^^**

**sooooo yep. not much to say this time. im far too tired.**

**and if you havent guessed already, i dont own ouran. such a surprise, right?**

**~RBASA**

**C10: And Yet Again… They. Woke. Me. Up.**

I woke up screaming and freezing once again. _Jesus, can't I sleepwalk anywhere __**indoors**__?_ I groaned as I looked around. I was standing in the middle of an empty street, in another suburban area. _Hey, look on the bright side, Vinn!_ I tried to convince myself. _You'll know this town inside out by the end of this semester. _I sighed, wrapped my arms around myself, and started the long trek home again.

**[][][]**

"HEY. WAKE UPPPPPPPPPP!" the twins yelled in my ears.

Oh. My. God. _Why can't I ever just __**sleep**__?_

"SLEEPY HEAD SLEEPY HEAD SLEEPY HEAD SLEEPY HEAD!" they sang. "RISE AND SHINNNENEEEEEEE!"

I pulled the pillow over my ears. "Why is she always so tired?" I heard someone ask. I think it was Haruhi.

"Her feet are dirty." I heard a deep voice add. I knew it was Mori, but I was too tired to muster up the anger for him.

_These people are getting too observant. They'll figure it out eventually_, I thought, dreading their imminent discovery.

They suddenly were silent_. Finally_, I thought, _Peace and quiet_.

Then I heard a small voice near my ear.

"Vinny-chan?" he said. " wake up?"

I peeked out from under my pillow into massive teary brown eyes. I couldn't deny them, no matter how hard I tried.

I groaned and rolled over, the light blinding my eyes.

_Why can't I ever get a good night's sleep? And I can't wake up refreshed instead of pissed?_

I sat up and Honey and the twins cheered. "Well, now we know how to get her up." Kyoya muttered to himself, jotting something down in his notebook again.

I glared my most evil glare I could muster at all of them besides Haruhi and Honey.

The twins and Tamaki screamed and ran out of the room. The rest followed more calmly, Honey skipping, leaving me to change.

I rubbed my eyes and tried to stay upright as I hopped around the room, trying to pull on my jeans. I didn't bother changing my sweatshirt. It was the best sweatshirt in the world, a black and white horizontal striped hoodie with a hood that was wayyyyy too big, so when I was feeling all emo I could just pull it up and my face would be cast in darkness, no features visible.

I sat back on my bed and pulled my gray converse on, deciding to bypass socks. Then I laid my head back on my pillow. _I'll just rest for a minute or two… then I'll go outside…_ I thought, my eyes slipping closed.

**[][][]**

I opened my eyes, expecting to see my room, but I was in the Host Club room again.

I groaned. _How did I get here?_

Then I remembered that yesterday Mori had carried me. He must have carried me again today. I was going to fucking **;Ljwh0orhij** him.

I shot up from the sofa and looked around. "Hey, look. The evil beast has awoken." Hikaru snickered.

"Finally." Midori and Kaoru said at the same time.

"YAYAYAY! Vinny-chan!" Honey sang.

I ignored them all and marched over to Mori. I was about a foot away when he looked up from his book. I was just about to bring my fist into contact with that abnormally attractive face when Midori grabbed my cocked arm and dragged me away, saying, "Oh no you don't. I know you're all grumpy in the mornings and you hate that Mori carries you here, but you are NOT ruining this day."

I rolled my eyes, every once in a while shooting a glare at Mori.

Then I comprehended what she said. "What's so special about today?" Haruhi said at the same time that I thought it.

"I don't know. But we're gonna do something today. Not just sit around in this old dump."

The twins shot up and high fived each other. Tamaki leapt in the air like a dog. "What are we doing?" They all asked eagerly.

"I dunno." She shrugged. "Let's ask Kyoya!"

The four flew over to Kyoya and poked and prodded and annoyed him until he stopped typing. "What?" he said, aggravated.

I tuned them out and leaned back against the wall, sliding down and closing my eyes. I felt someone sit down next to me.

"You're always tired." Haruhi said.

I opened my eyes and glanced over at her. _So?_ I thought. What was she getting at?

"Why?"

I knew perfectly well why. My subconscious was reacting to… I shook the thought away. It was just because I sleepwalked/sleptwalk/sleptwalked at night and all my sleeping hours were drained away trying to find my way back. But I just closed my eyes and shrugged. It was too much to explain. _Unnecessary._ I thought.

She sighed and went back to reading her book beside me.

"WE HAVE DECIDED," Tamaki yelled, jumping up onto a table and stabbing a finger dramatically into the air. "TO GO TO THE HITACHIIN ESTATE AND PERFORM THE COMMONER ACTIVITY OF 'HANGING OUT'! As Midori puts it."

I rolled my eyes. This should be exciting.

Everyone started to stand up. I whimpered. Standing was the last thing I wanted to do.

Midori ran over to me and tugged on my arm. "C'mon Vinn! You HAVVVEEEE to!"

_Wanna bet?_ I asked silently as I slumped against the wall. _Just leave me here to rot away and die._

My eyes slid closed and Midori pulled harder. "NO! Do NOT go back to sleep young lady!" she yelled.

Suddenly she got a sick smile on her face, and she turned to me, grinning. She dropped my arm. "Unless, of course, you want Mori to carry you again." She shrugged.

I shot up, shivering at just the thought. I glanced over to Mori, who had looked up at his name, and quickly looked away.

Then I leaped onto Midori's back and pointed ahead, shouting "DUM DA-DA DUMMMMMM!" like in movies. She wobbled and staggered, trying to catch her balance. I sighed. _Such a waste of breath on such an awful warhorse._

"Oh I see, you can make noises, but you refuse to talk." She said.

I rolled my eyes, hitting her with my heels to get her to go faster.

She finally got stable and we marched onward, me grinning the entire way.

**~end of C10~**

**WOOO. we're in the double-digits, now folks! put your seatbelts on!**

**just kidding. this story is boring me. but no worries, i WILL finish it, even if it kills me.**

**which it probably will.**

***RANDOM NOTE THAT REALLY ISNT WORTH READING*: **

**ive decided to start another story. one with an actual plot and junk like that. not that this isnt nice, its one of those cheeky fluff stories that we all love, but sometimes ya need a little action.**

**unfortunately, this will not be an Ouran fic. it will be Bleach(which, of course, i do not own either.). im sorry if i let you down there.**

**SOO if you just happen to read this months from RIGHT THIS SECOND (10:31pm 5/13/11), i MIGHT just have it posted, and you should go check out my shockingly empty page and read it.**

**unless you dont watch bleach. ****in which case you shouldnt read it. it would just confuse you. and KEEP REVIEWING, GUYS! IT MAKES ME UPDATE FASTER. ^^ **

**~RBASA**


	11. C11: Going to the Hitachiin's

**my sincerest apologies, readers.**

**i have taken an unforgivable amount of time to load this chapter, but i must humbly inform you that it is not completely my fault. it my laptop's.**

**no, that's a lie. it's my charger's. damn thing. but everything's okay now and i got a new charger and im back to writing.**

**enjoy! ^^**

**and i dont own ouran. ~RBASA**

**C11: Going to the Hitachiin Estate and Performing the Commoner Activity of "Hanging Out".**

We arrived back at the Hitachiin Estate and… well, yeah. We didn't really know what to do. We just kind of sat around and did nothing for a good twenty minutes before Midori snapped. "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE DOING BEFORE!" she practically screamed. "Let's DO something."

"Um… I guess we could watch a movie…?" Kaoru said.

She ran up into his face. "THAT!" she screamed. "Is a great idea." She finished softly.

They all plopped down on some of the sofas in the basement while I lumbered down the stairs after them_. I could've been sleeping right now…_ I thought sadly.

I made it down in time for the beginning credits. I looked around, but there were no more seats. I had to smile when I saw Haruhi squeezed in between the twins, practically sitting on Hikaru's lap. Midori was sitting a friendly distance away from Kyoya, but their hands weren't that far from touching. I sighed and made myself comfortable on the ground in front of the TV with a couch pillow.

We were watching some Disney movie. It might have been Aladdin, but I couldn't be sure. My eyes were already closed and my mind was too far gone by the time the starting credits were over.

**[][][]**

"HEY!" Midori screamed. "Are you sleeping again? God. Seriously girl, I think you got a problem."

I pulled the pillow over my head and she kicked me. "Get up. It's 3:30 and the movie's over. We need to DO something."

I sat up, holding the pillow in my lap and trying to keep my eyes open. The rain pelted the windows. I saw Haruhi looking anxiously out the window. _What, is she afraid of rain or something?_ I thought.

Midori sighed and turned to the others, who were still plopped on the couch.

"Whadda ya wanna do, guys?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

I lay down again while her back was turned. "We could… mess with Vinny." The twins said mischievously, leering down at me.

My eyes shot open and I glared at them.

Midori turned and kicked me again. "DON'T FALL ASLEEP AGAIN!" she yelled. "Y'know guys, maybe that ain't such a bad idea."

I stared at her. She was NOT doing this to me.

She and the twins took a step closer._ God, this is like assault or something_, I thought, scrambling up and stepping backwards, clutching my pillow as a weapon.

There was a sudden _**BOOOOOOOM**_ of thunder and the lights went out. I quickly dove behind the couch, making my escape from the devious trio while most everyone else shrieked, the loudest one of all Haruhi. _Oh…. She's afraid of thunder_, I realized. I stood up from behind the couch and ran out of the room to fetch a flashlight.

When I came back everyone was surrounding Haruhi, patting various appendages of her trembling body. Hikaru had already given her his Ipod, and I smiled. _Maybe Hikaru isn't so bad_, I thought. Kaoru had always been my favorite twin, but it was possible Hikaru was getting better.

I turned on the flashlight and placed it on the table, pointing it towards to ceiling so everyone could see a little in the darkness, and silently sat on the couch, peering into the mass of people to make sure Haruhi was alright. She was crouched in a tiny ball, clutching a blanket, her eyes squeezed tight.

I frowned. I hoped she was okay…

But something was wrong.

I scanned the room.

_Where is Midori?_

**[][][]**

**MIDORI'S POV**

I was huddled underneath the pool table, shaking. I knew it was silly of me. It was a childish fear. I tried to lift my head up and open my eyes, but I just squeaked and screwed them shut again. It was so dark. Anything could come out and get me. I was vulnerable, and I hated it. I couldn't see anything. I was scared, so scared. I shuddered involuntarily.

I heard the Host club, not so very far away, start to realize I wasn't among them.

Vinny got to me first, finding me in a flash, that silent little bugger.

She crawled under the table with me, and put her hand on my arm. I knew she could feel me shaking, but I couldn't stop.

She didn't say anything.

I was grateful. Normally someone would ask what was wrong, or try to persuade me to come out. But no. Vinny wasn't like that. She knew that I just needed someone to be there, not someone to console me or encourage me. She was so small, and yet her aura was so strong and comforting. Her presence was enough.

I sighed a shaky sigh and saw the flashes of light as someone with a flashlight ran around, yelling.

"WHERE ARE MY DAUGHTERS?"

I almost laughed. _Tamaki._

Suddenly, the lights flickered back on, and I opened my eyes a tiny crack. The power was back up, and I felt relief wash over me like a wave, releasing the knots in my joints and melting the ice in my stomach. I quickly scrambled out from under the table, Vinny just a step behind me. I walked calmly over to the couch, where Honey, Mori, Kyoya, and Hikaru sat with Haruhi.

I guessed Tamaki and Kaoru were still running around searching for us.

"WHERE WERE YOU!" Tamaki screamed from behind us, causing me to leap about 20 feet in the air. "YOU ALMOST GAVE DADDY A HEART-ATTACK!"

I sighed. "_**I**_ was searching for a flashlight, but it seems that you have already found one. Not that it's much use to us now, anyways." I said coolly, shrugging. I had always been a good liar. In my peripherals, I noticed Vinny didn't even blink at the lie. _She must be good at it too,_ I thought. _I really wonder what her story is…_

**VINNY'S POV**

I wasn't surprised that Midori lied. In fact, I expected it. I mean c'mon. Like a girl like her was gonna come out and say, "Oh yeah, I was hiding under the pool table because of my embarrassing phobia of darkness. Duh." Gimme a break.

"WELL." Tamaki said, at a loss for words. I half-expected him to stage-whisper, "_LINE?_!".

Kaoru came up behind him and walked towards Haruhi. _Shit,_ I thought. I had almost forgotten about her. Luckily, the thunder was hardly audible at this point.

She opened her eyes a crack and saw everyone crowded around her. She ripped the headphones off her ears and dropped the blanket she was strangling, awkwardly standing up. "Um. I… Sorry." She said, blushing a bit. "Uh- I- I… have to go to the bathroom," she said, running off out of the room and down the hall.

"Well. That wasn't awkward." Midori deadpanned. "It's 3:50. Whatta ya guys wanna do?"

Everyone just stared at her.

"We could play a game while we wait for Haru-chan to come back," Honey suggested.

"OKAY!" Midori yelled. _God. I swear I'm gonna need a hearing aid by the end of this week._

"What do ya wanna play?" she asked.

"We could play… truth or dare," The twins grinned mischievously. I couldn't stop my shudder. I saw Mori glance at me. _God, I could really punch that boy in the gut._

"What's that?" Midori asked.

Everyone stared at her again, temporarily forgetting that she was deprived of a regular childhood.

"OH. MY. QUAIL." The twins said. "WE HAVE TO TEACH YOU IT RIGHT NOWW!"

They quickly sat everyone down in a circle, but I stayed standing. There was no way I was being subjected to this. Last time I played this game was at sleepover in junior high with a bunch of kids from school, and I ended up having to lick the bottom of Johnny Brickett's dirty old shoe. I almost shuddered at the memory. No doubt the twins would make this game even worse, with their twisted minds.

I calmly walked back over to the couch and plopped down, just planning to rest.

"Heyyyyyy," the twins whined. "You're not gonna play with us?"

I just looked at them. Did it LOOK like I was going to play with them?

"WHYYY NOOOOOTTTT?" They wailed, Midori joining in. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head, grabbing a pillow and making myself comfortable.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Midori yelled stomping over to me and dragging me off the couch, which was surprisingly easy for her. I yelped and she dumped me into the circle, between Mori and Honey. Who did she think she was? My **mother**?

"C'mon Vinny-chan, it will be fun!" Honey exclaimed. I grumbled and made myself comfortable.

"ALL RIGHT. HERE WE GO." The twins started. "You'll get the hang of it as we go along, Midori, don't worry." Hikaru turned to Tamaki. "Oi boss, truth or dare?" he said.

"DARE! Your king is not afraid of-"

"Yeahyeahyeah," Hikaru cut him off. Tamaki's eyes welled up at the interruption as Hikaru turned to whisper something to Kaoru. "ALRIGHT." He started, turning back to a not-so-brave looking Tamaki. "I dare you to HUG Nekozawa the next time we see him."

Tamaki's face turned pure white. "N-N-No. N-No." He said.

I almost felt bad for the guy, he seemed so scared. But who was Nekozawa? I saw the same question in Midori's eyes. "Um, who exactly, is-"

"He's a black magic master who only wears dark cloaks and owns a cursed cat puppet named Belzeneff which he carries around with him 24/7," Kaoru said simply.

A grin slowly spread across my face. That was the most awesome thing I had ever heard. I HAD to meet this guy. He sounded way too cool. I started giggling.

"Alright…." Tamaki said, over his little fit and confused by my reaction. "Um… HONEY-SENPAI!" He continued, flinging a finger across the circle to Honey. "TRUTH OR DARRRRE?"

"Um…" Honey considered, tapping his finger against his lips. "Dare." He said confidently. I was so proud of him.

"Alright! I dare you to….. NOT EAT any candy or cake…." His voice trailed off significantly as he saw the look Mori gave him. "I DARE YOU TO EAT AS MANY PIECES OF CANDY AND CAKE AS YOU WANT!" he cried, quickly editing. I had to laugh.

"YAYAYAAYAYAY!" Honey cried, pulling a piece of cake from nowhere and stuffing it in his face.

He finished and stroked his imaginary beard, choosing his victim. "Hmm… Kao-chan. Truth or Dare?"

"…Dare." Kaoru said, seemingly confidant, but I could see through him.

"Alright. I dare you to spend the rest of the day away from Hika-chan!"

"GAH! WHAT? NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO US!" The twins shrieked, clinging to each other. Honey glared at them, and reluctantly they went to sit on opposite sides of the circle. Midori snickered.

"FINE." Kaoru said, angry. "Midori, truth or dare?"

"Um… Truth," She said.

"ALRIGHT, DARE IT IS!" The twins shouted, excited again.

"WHAT?" she yelled, but was ignored.

"We dare you…. To stand on one hand while sticking your tongue out and singing Mary Had a Little Lamb." They grinned evilly.

"Ummm… no thanks." She said.

"NOPE-NOPE-NOPE! YOU HAVE TO YOUNG LADY! IT'S PART OF THE RULES!" Tamaki yelled, delighted.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I DON'T EVEN HAVE A CHOICE?" she yelled, sounding a lot like Haruhi. I was still wondering where she went…

She huffed and stood, mumbling about how she didn't even know how to stand on one hand. She tactfully lay down on the ground and lifted her feet onto the couch, and then pushed her upper body up with one arm. _Ahh, clever_, I thought with respect.

The twins grumbled about cheating a little, but otherwise did not protest. After all, the best part was coming.

She sighed, stuck her tongue out, and began to sing.

I tried so hard to contain myself. So hard. But it was physically impossible.

"_**MAWAH HA UH WILLWILL WAM, WILLWILL WAM, WILLWILL WAM, MAWAH HA UH WILLWILL WAM HOO HEES WA WHI AH SWOHHHHH!"**_

Halfway through the first "WILLWILL WAM" I was quite literally rolling on the floor laughing. She sounded like a half-drunk half-drowned sheep that was recently diagnosed with laryngitis. I clutched my sides and gasped for air, noticing that Honey was in a state a state quite like mine, Mori had a small smile on his face, and the twins were pounding each other's back and laughing so hard their faces were as red as their hair. Tamaki was trying hard to conceal his laughter, covering his mouth with his hand like a gentleman, but he couldn't control it. Kyoya just stared, eye twitching a little.

By the time I recovered, I had noticed that Haruhi was stopped mid- walk in the doorway, her face twitching with a dumbfounded expression, which only made it 10 times worse, and we all started busting up again. Midori just sat there, red faced, trying to erase her memory of what just happened.

The second time I recovered, I took a shaky breath, looking around the room. Kyoya was just staring at Midori. "… Oh, God." He said.

Of course that had me cracking up all over again, but this time it was shorter, and I quickly wiped the tears away from my eyes, and I saw the twins doing the same.

Every time I looked at Midori for the rest of the night I went into fits of laughter, and eventually she got aggravated. "IT WASN'T THAT FREAKIN FUNNY YOU DIRTY LITTLE WRETCH!" She yelled at me. All I could do was nod. It was SO that funny.

"THAT'S IT! I'M LEAVING!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air and stomping up the stairs. I would've apologized, but I was still laughing too hard.

Kyoya sighed. "I guess she'll need a ride. Thank you for treating us as your guests tonight." He said politely, following Midori out. I tried to wave goodbye, but I still couldn't function properly. Oh trust me, I TRIED to stop laughing. I really did.

Tamaki left right after, dragging a very dejected looking Haruhi along with him.

Kaoru just looked at me convulsing on the floor. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked curiously.

Honey giggled and Mori just stared at me, which made me feel that jittery-ness again, even though I was laughing.

"… I honestly don't know," Hikaru said.

**[][][]**

**MIDORI'S POV**

Kyoya's family's limo finally pulled up to the house, and we both slipped inside, glad to be out of the cold rain. It was freezing outside. I rubbed my hands against my arms, shivering. _It really shouldn't be this cold_, I thought. _It's only September, for screamin' out loud!_

It was a quiet ride back to the school. I kept sneaking glances at Kyoya. He was unbelievably attractive, the way his messy hair somehow always turned out perfect, and the way his glasses sat on his nose, reflecting what little gray light there was outside.

One time he caught me looking at him, and I quickly shifted my gaze to outside.

I swear I saw him smirk. I blushed.

We pulled up to the school, which was, for some reason, still open at 5. He helped me out of the car and led me inside and down to the 3rd Music Room. He tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked?" I asked. Why on earth would it be locked?

He nodded and tried again. I rolled my eyes and pulled a bobby pin from out of my messy bun.

"What exactly are you doing?" He asked, raising an unbelievably attractive eyebrow. I shook my head of the thought and bent down to the handle.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked, fiddling with the pin and lock.

"It looks like you're vandalizing school property," He retorted.

"Then I guess I am," I said, straightening and pushing the door open with a small smile.

He sighed and gestured for me to go first. I walked in and towards my door, which he opened for me.

"Goodnight, Midori," he sighed, as if he were tired of me. I'll admit that stung a little.

" 'Night Kyoya-senpai," I sighed back. He started to shut the door behind him. "Oh, and Kyoya?" I added. He opened the door back up and stuck his head in. "Thanks," I smiled. _For everything_.

He just stared at me for what I thought was hours, and then said, "Anytime," with a tiny smirk.

Then he shut the door and left.

**[][][]**

**VINNY'S POV**

I had recovered from my laugh-attack and was now sitting on the couch with Honey's head in my lap. He seemed very sleepy, even though it was just a little after 5.

I ran my fingers through his hair. I loved this kid. He yawned and stretched. I smiled. He was so cute, even though he was somehow older than me. I was glad he wouldn't be leaving for a while, but I could say otherwise for his tall friend. Their driver got stuck in the rain, and wouldn't be able to arrive for a while.

I sighed. _Well, gotta take the good with the bad, I guess_.

The twins were off somewhere doing something stupid (very bad hosting, I might add), so that just left me with Mori and Honey. And Honey was sleeping, so that just left me with Mori. Funfunfun. He sat on the other side of the L-shaped couch, gazing out at nothing.

I suddenly realized I honestly wasn't angry at him. I just wasn't. I don't know if it was the fact that Honey was right there, or that I was insanely sleep-deprived, or… something. But at that exact moment in time I could not be angry at him. Oh, trust me, I tried. But the anger wouldn't come.

I sighed and ran my fingers through Honey's hair again.

I saw Mori look over at me. I looked up at him, meeting his level gaze, and cold fire immediately raced through my veins. It warmed and chilled me at the same time, and my mouth parted a tiny bit in surprise.

It was exactly like it had been the day before, a never ending battle of blue and gray. But, instead of hostile, this was more… surprised. And no matter how hard I tried I could not look away. His eyes bored into mine and trapped me in a way that made it impossible to even blink, and soon enough my heart was pounding in my chest.

I suddenly felt the need to know everything about him, to leap into his arms and stay safe there forever. The fire pulled me towards him, urging me to wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face into his chest. _HEY! Get a hold of yourself!_ I yelled in my head, but I couldn't help my blush as he continued to stare deep into my eyes. I was positive he could see to my very core.

Honey moaned and shifted in my lap, and we both broke the trance to look down at him. _Jesus Christ, what WAS that?_ My mind started flipping out.

I steadied myself with a deep breath. _Alright, you CAN'T look at him again_, I told myself sternly. _That was embarrassing and there's no way you can handle that again._ I just fixed my eyes on Honey's sleeping form.

I felt Mori look down at me again, and I actually had to work hard at not returning his gaze. I saw him stand up and start walking over to me.

He kneeled in front of me. I strained to keep my eyes on Honey. _What does he think he's doing?_ I thought. I saw him reach out and my breath caught, my heart beating a gajillion miles an hour. But he just reached to Honey.

I glanced up at him, curious, and my eyes were trapped once again.

"You need to rest," he said in a deep, resonant voice. My breath caught again. This was first time he had said anything to me. I just stared at him for a few seconds, processing what his words actually meant. Then I realized he wanted to take Honey from me, and I gratefully handed the boy into his strong arms.

He returned to his seat and gently laid Honey down on the couch next to him. It was so sweet how much Mori cared for him. _More like a brother than a cousin, _I thought.

I sighed and decided Mori was right. I needed to rest for a while. But I sure as hell wasn't going to fall asleep while they were still here. I'd just end up walking somewhere and freak Honey out. I grabbed a pillow and laid my head down on it. _I'll just rest until they leave, and then I can actually go to sleep_, I thought.

But as soon as my eyes slid closed, I was out cold.

**[][][]**

I woke up to find myself moving. I was still too tired to find the muscles that would open my eyes, so I just sat there in a half-asleep state, content to listen to the slow beating heart my head was resting on.

_Wait, beating heart?_ I thought. Then I felt the warm arms that were holding me up, and my eyes snapped open.

Mori was carrying me bridal style through the Hitachiin house.

"GAH!" I yelped, surprised. I squirmed in his arms, and he stopped walking and looked down at me. I pushed against his chest, still blinking the sleep out of my eyes. _THIS-IS-SO-EMBARRASSING-THIS-IS-SO-EMBARRASSING-THIS-IS-SO-__**EMBARRASSING**__!_ My head screamed.

He set me down on the ground and I wobbled, searching for the wall for balance. My hands clutched at air and I almost fell flat on my face, but Mori caught and stabled me. I almost shivered at his touch, but I held it back.

I tried to take a few steps forward, but couldn't keep my balance again. Mori snagged my waist with warm arms and pulled me against his chest.

"Vienna." He said.

I couldn't stop my shiver this time. My real name just rolled off his tongue and sounded so beautiful in his deep voice.

I looked up at him and almost cried. _He's so beautiful…_ I thought helplessly, blinking sleepily to make sure he was real. He suddenly swooped me up into his arms again, and my face was incredibly close to his. I blushed and blinked hard, wanting to make sure it wasn't a dream.

I opened them again and he was still there. _Wow,_ I thought. My eyes slipped back closed of their own accord, and my head gently fell against his chest. The slow, rhythmic beating of his heart and his even stride lulled me back to sleep.

**~end of C11~**

***tear* so sweet! i loved writing that.**

**please review and suggest and critic and whatever it is you guys do that makes me want to write so much. ^^ ~RBASA**


	12. C12: Suddenly I'm a Goth Jasmine

**ahh sorry i took awhile. but yet again i am extremely disappointed in the review turn up. the more you review, the faster i go, guys.**

**ah, anyway. here ya go. enjoy!**

***creepyevildevilvoice* AND REVIEW. ~RBASA**

**C12: Suddenly I'm a Goth Jasmine**

I ran in late to my first class, once again. If I was late one more time I would get a detention. I sighed, trying to concentrate on the class, but my thoughts kept flickering to the night before.

_Jesus, I can't believe how I acted last night! How could I honestly feel moved by that jerk? Oh my god, he was IN MY ROOM! _I gritted my teeth, angry._ And he carried me. AGAIN! How DARE he? What a jackass. I can't believe I actually was comfortable in his arms last night. Ugh… I feel so… violated. He's a disgusting person who does NOT deserve my respect. I can't believe I called him BEAUTIFUL! No. I am __**NOT**__ gonna fall for his tricks ever again! What was I thinking?_

I stormed through the rest of my classes, only thinking about how pissed off I was, and getting even angrier as the day went on. In the back of my mind, I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn't hold back my sinister thoughts.

By the time I was ready to go to the Host Club, I was a raging bull, and the bitchy girls in all my classes did absolutely nothing to help my mood.

I was about ready to rip someone's head off when I opened the Host Club's doors.

"Ah, my princess, I'm glad you made it today. Now if you would please put this on…" Tamaki said, holding out a royal Arab outfit and smiling hugely as soon as I walked in.

I stared at him. There was no way I was wearing that. Not after today. I had woken up in another random tree, farther away this time, despite my precautionary efforts of locking my room's doors and windows. It was safe to say my day was NOT going well. Besides, I wasn't even **in** the club, why should I have to dress up?

"Aw but you have to!" the twins shouted, rightly interpreting my stare as a definite no. "You were such a great help to Haruhi the last few days that the club decided to hire you and Midori as our waitresses! Besides, you can't just sit around here and read the whole time."

I glared at them. _Wanna bet?_ I wanted so badly to say.

"But Vinny-chan, you would look so cute in it!" Honey said, hugging Usa-chan. "Pleeeeease wear it?"

God, he was so cute! Ugh. I always had a weakness for kids, and even though this guy was older than me….

He shot me the puppy-dog eyes and I was a goner.

I grumbled and snatched the thing from Tamaki, stomping to the dressing room, Honey and the twins' cheers floating up behind me.

I ripped off my clothes and pulled the thing on, examining myself in the mirror. Baggy, almost see-through black and pants with gold trim and a sleeveless black top with a slit down the stomach, making me look like a real whore. I loved the headdress through. It was partially see-through, and all black with more gold trim. I wrapped it around my head, only my eyes visible. The whole thing actually wasn't that bad. I kind of looked like a Goth Princess Jasmine, from Aladdin. I smiled, positioned the top so the slit was invisible, and slid back the curtain.

I had hardly stepped out when I was glomped by a mass of bodies. "AHH! VINNY YOU LOOK SO CUTE!" the twins shouted, squeezing me to death.

"My daughter is growing up so fast!" Tamaki said, tears in his eyes as he snatched me away from the twins and crushed me in a bear hug, spinning me around.

Honey was attached to my leg the whole time. "Vinny-chan, you look pretty," he said, smiling up at me. "Ne, Takashi?"

"…Ah," he said, standing off to the side with the rational half of the group. I almost died. Luckily, the headdress hid my extreme blush. _Stop!_ I yelled at myself internally. _That guy is a money-grubbing jackass and you hate his bastard guts_.

But as much as I yelled at myself, I couldn't help but notice that he was wearing pants like mine, but not transparent, and… well that was it. He was shirtless, just wearing the pants and holding a spear. I almost died all over again.

I pried Tamaki off me and Honey ran off, climbing up Mori onto his shoulders. I snickered.

Honey was wearing a toned down version of what Tamaki was wearing, a white and gold robe and a headdress that just went around his face, instead of covering it. They both wore white sandals while the rest of us were in bare feet. Tamaki had the jewels and everything. I sighed. He was an over-the-top kind of guy.

Hikaru and Kaoru were wearing matching purple and gold pants like Mori's, and were shirtless too. The Stalker, Haruhi, and Midori were in matching purple and gold robes. It seemed that everyone had their own matches.

I almost screamed when I realized Mori and I were a match.

I was about to march over to Kyoya and demand what kind of operation this was when Midori ran up to me. "HEY YOU STANKY SEAGULL!" she yelled, even though she was all of a foot away from me. I rolled my eyes and we shook hands.

"Well don't you look mighty fancy?" she said, admiring my outfit.

I shot into a dramatic pose and she laughed.

"Alright people, time to prepare for our guests," the Kyoya deadpanned.

Everyone gathered by the couch. I felt really out of place, but the twins steered me in front of Mori, who was standing off to the side of the sofa.

I stifled the urge to scream and held my head high, calmly waiting for the girls' arrival, shifting my weight from foot to foot. I knew I would be laughed at even more by the bitchy girls, but I shook the thought off. _No need worrying about something that is unavoidable. Just make the best of it,_ I told myself, sighing.

The doors opened and I stayed silent as the group chorused, "Welcome." Mori was silent too. I wanted to spin around punch him in his bastard guts.

The girls poured in, and I had to stop myself from running away in fear. _God, these girls are monsters_, I thought, watching the way they pushed and shoved to get to their designated Hosts for the day.

_Well, make the best of it_, _Vinn_, I thought again, sighing.

**[][][]**

The day went pretty normally, Midori and I serving tea and cakes and biscuits and such while the guys did their thing. Fortunately, the girls didn't recognize me with my headdress on, but there were still whispers.

"Who IS that girl?"

"Do you think she's Russian?"

"What is she doing here?"

"What kind of costume IS that?"

"What a whore."

"Maybe she was raised to dress slutty by her Russian mother."

"Is she the Host Club's sex slave or something? Why is she dressed up like Mori?"

"Maybe she's Mori's secret girlfriend who he's going to run away to France with after the Host Club ends today."

"What if she's pregnant with Mori's child?"

"Ooh, scandalous."

"I think maybe she's Mori's secret lover who his parents don't approve of."

"Wow, Mori is so rebellious, going against his parents for the girl he loves."

"He's so sweet!"

"KAWAIIII!"

I seriously almost screamed. _How the hell do these girls come __**up**__ with these things?_

By the end of the day, all the girls were convinced that I was Mori's secret Russian girlfriend who his parents despised for being common and slutty, but she was only slutty because that's how her prostitute mother dressed her, in hopes that she would grow to be just like her. Oh, and Mori had accidentally gotten said girl pregnant and needed to fly away with her to a special hospital in Eastern Europe, where he was going to confess his undying love and propose to her.

I could feel my eye twitching with the aggravation. I wanted to seize one of those girl's throats and scream in her face, "THERE IS NO WAY IN _HELL_ THAT I WOULD BE MORI'S GIRLFRIEND, AND THERE IS _ABSOLUTELY_ NO WAY IN HELL THAT HE WOULD IMPREGNATE ME. AND **I**. **AM. NOT**. **A**. _**WHORE**_**!**"

I was fuming. Even Midori was afraid to come too close to me, scared that I would bite her face off. And I probably would have too.

At least SHE got a reasonable explanation for being there. The giggling girls figured that she was a home-schooled girl that was working at the club to earn some extra cash. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Ne, Vinny-chan, are you okay?" Honey tugged on my sleeve after the club ended.

I just looked down at him, my stress dissolving. It was impossible to be angry when looking at his unbelievably sweet face.

"OKAY!" he grinned, taking that as a yes. "Ya wanna eat some cake with us then?" He dragged me over to his table without giving me chance to answer. I was forced to sit across from Mori, and I almost jumped out the window. After all I had gone through today, I wasn't sure if I could handle THIS.

I slouched in my seat, glancing over at Mori. He was leaning on the table with his forearms, staring out the window blankly. I watched as his eyes slowly met mine. I felt like I could fall into those eyes forever, swimming in an endless ocean of gray, but I shook the thought away, becoming slightly angry. There was no way a douchebag like that deserved such eyes.

He slid his gaze back out the window and my eyes narrowed.

"Ne, ne, Takashi?" I heard Honey ask in a sad tone. I quickly turned to him, even though it wasn't my name he was calling. I was surprised to see tears in his eyes, staring down at his feet. "I – I think I lost my sandaaaal."

I almost started bawling at his sad face, but I immediately started to stand to go look for it, not even thinking about how random it was that he JUST realized he was missing a shoe. But as soon I made a single move, Honey grabbed my hand under the table with surprising strength, forcing me to stay.

Mori stood silently and quickly walked away in search of the missing footwear.

I looked down at Honey, confused. He looked up at me with those sad eyes again and I almost couldn't bear it. "Vinny-chan… do you hate me?" he asked, the most heartbroken look in his big brown eyes.

My eyes welled up. What had I done to make him think that? No, of course I didn't hate him. Of course not. I shook my head vigorously.

"Do you hate Takashi?"

I blanched. _Um_…. I thought. _Well_…

I looked over at Mori, who was searching under various inanimate objects for Honey's lost sandal.

_Hate. Hate is a very strong word._ I thought. I didn't hate anyone. Now, I wasn't saying I was terribly fond of the guy, but I most definitely did not hate him.

I glanced back down to Honey and slowly shook my head again.

A tiny, sad smile crossed his face and he looked back down at his feet.

I looked back to Mori, who was randomly searching in a potted plant.

I sighed.

"He feels bad you know." Honey continued unexpectedly.

I glanced back down to him again, raising my eyebrows in confusion.

"When Miki-chan was mean to you that day, Takashi felt really bad. He wanted to stick up for you but he knew that if he did, Miki-chan would just hate you more and make it worse."

My heart gave a painful pang. I had tried to push that memory aside, but now it came flooding back.

"_You don't belong here, street rat. This school is for the high class, not scum like you… I would never want to be in attendance of a place that allows the likes of __**you**__ in here."_

That hurt, but I had taken much worse. What made it painful was Mori's silence. It was like… It was almost like he was _agreeing_ with her. My eyes wandered over to him, where he was still searching diligently.

Now that I learned that this was not the case… I felt god-awful.

_God, I am SUCH a BITCH!_ I screamed at myself. _You've been nothing but a total jackass to him, and he did NOTHING wrong!_ I wanted to rip my hair out.

"But he's not mad at you for being angry," Honey continued, making me feel that much worse. "He understands why you would be mad."

My eyes suddenly stung.

"Takashi is very nice. I think you should give him another chance."

I closed my eyes, my head falling into my palms.

Mori came back, sandal in hand, and knelt before Honey, sliding it on to his foot with the utmost care.

Honey giggled and Mori sat back down, staring out the window once again.

My eyes bored into the table with frightening intensity.

Haruhi was walking by the table, gathering cups and plates, and suddenly Honey leapt up, screaming "HAAAARUUUU-CHAAAAAANNNN!" and all but tackled her.

"Wha-!" was all she could get out before Honey had her down and was dragging her away, rambling excitedly about a new cake recipe she had to try.

I felt Mori's eyes slide down to look at me, and I knew that we both knew this was all just a part of Honey's plan to get us on better terms.

I sighed and looked up at him with apologetic eyes, but was shocked to see the same expression on his face. _Sorry,_ was the only thing it said.

My eyebrows furrowed. _Why?_ What did HE have to be sorry for?

He just looked down and spread his hands. _Everything._

"WOOOOAAAAHHHH they're having a silent conversation!" the twins yelled.

"That's amazing!"

"How can they do it?"

"They have absolutely fantastic communication skills."

"This is an incredible discovery of new ways to relay information!"

"It's a breakthrough of the human mind!"

The twins went on like an awed crowd, keeping the murmurs up between the two of them. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

The boy in front of me still had his eyes cast down, like he had committed some sort of crime.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Midori walked over to join the sudden excitement around us. "What's going on?" she asked.

"It seems they're having some sort of silent conversation. It's quite interesting, actually." Kyoya said, mildly amused, glancing up from his laptop.

Midori just smirked, crossing her arms and sitting down.

I turned my attention back to Mori. _This kid is ridiculous_, I thought, sighing. He glanced up and I frowned at him. Then I stood and, filling my outgoing actions quota for the year, I grabbed his hand and shook it once, ignoring the zing the touch sent up my spine. I refused to make eye-contact with him, and I quickly pulled back, turning away from the table and swiftly walking towards the storage/candy room. A sudden chorus of applause rang up behind me, and I rolled my eyes, shutting the door behind me.

I leaned back against it and took a deep breath, my hand still tingling from where I had touched Mori.

_Woman, there's something wrong with you,_ I told myself, shaking my head.

**[][][]**

The club wrapped up quickly after that, we three girls working on cleaning everything up while Kyoya discussed plans for the Ball with the group.

"We are going on a mass shopping trip on Thursday, and the club will be cancelled in order to make time." He stated, causing everyone to cheer. He paused. "And **everyone** will go, including Midori and Vienna. No excuses or exceptions."

My head shot up. There was no way I was going to that! I didn't have a dress, or a mask, or a date, or a reason to go at all!

Midori looked pleased at first, but suddenly her eyes cast down. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kyoya interrupted her.

"The Hitachiins will pay for the three girls' outfits." He pushed up his glasses. Midori grinned.

The twins gaped. "WHAT? NO WAY! WHY US? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

"You will also get to design their outfits and do their make-up, so long as you have approval from them." The twins immediately shut up and smirked at us. I rolled my eyes. There was no way I was getting sucked into this_. I think I feel an illness coming on…_ I thought. _I think it will peak on the night of the dance._

"Oh, and Vienna, I would advise you not to try and fake sick. My family runs a series of hospitals, and I can tell a fake from the truth any day of the week. You would also be wise to know that my family employs a secret police force that will obey my every command, yes?" His glasses glared, shielding his eyes.

_Psh. You think you can scare me with petty threats?_ I glared and stuck my tongue out at him.

Kyoya shut his laptop and stood. "Alright, then. It's settled. Everyone is going to the dance."

My eyes made contact with Mori's for a split second.

"I will see you all tomorrow, then." Kyoya left and I saw Midori catch up to him and say something. I smiled. It seemed their relationship was coming along nicely.

I rode home with the twins once again after saying goodbye to everyone, almost falling asleep on the car ride.

I went inside, took a shower, finished my homework in record time and was ready for bed by 7 o'clock.

Life in the Hitachiin home was easy, simple. I liked it. Their mother seemed to keep her distance, always busy with work, and the maids and servants were kind and silent, staying out of everyone's business and bringing me dinner at the appropriate time (I refused to let them bring me lunch or breakfast, after all, there was no way I was letting this place spoil me), and he twins always seemed to have something to do. So, that basically left the house to me.

I loved it.

Going out on top of the roof was really fun too. I really wanted to fall asleep up there, but there was the whole sleepwalking off the roof and plummeting to my death problem to consider. I just sighed and clambered back in through one of the upper windows and made my way to my room.

I fell asleep dreading Friday.

**~end of C12~**

**hurrah huzzah.**

**review review.**

**(please please.)**

**~RBASA**


	13. C13: How Many?

**im sorry i suck, guys.**

**im taking forever to upload these, arent i?**

**and now im turning into one of those people i hate.**

**lovely. **

**well, i could rant and give you all my excuses of why im taking so long and how sucky life is right now, but that would be complaining and you guys are not here to hear me complain, right?**

**my life is better than most people's, and so is yours. but thats assuming alot. i mean, i dont know you guys or how hard your lives are.**

**gahh whatever. just read. ****~RBASA**

**C13: How Many?**

"THIS IS BORRRINNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG." Midori groaned, shifting her turban around on her head.

The club had finally ended after a long day of… well… being Egyptian. It was by far one of the most difficult arrangements the Host Club had ever done, but they pulled it off quite nicely. Sphinxes and mini pyramids decorated the corners, and I didn't even WANT to ask if they were made of real gold.

The costumes were quite similar to the day before's, but much more intricate. Gold paint adorned each club member's face, along with a turban and jewels and fancy robes.

I however, had stripped myself from the constricting layers, sliding back into my awesomely awesome sweatshirt and some shorts. Midori was still lounging in her royal garb.

"Oi. Vinn. Entertain me." She drawled, waving her hand in the air like some aristocrat.

I narrowed my eyes and took another bite of my apple.

"Yeah! Vinny-chaaaaaan. Entertain us." The twins joined in. I rolled my eyes internally. Why was it always **me** they picked on? "You're an acrobat, right? Do a split or something."

_Um. Gymnast_. My mind corrected, but I just stayed where I was. One, I was far too stubborn to take orders from the likes of THEM, two, I was still exhausted from the night before's subconscious activities (which just so happened to take me across the hall into the bathroom, where I woke up staring into my own reflection. Lemme tell ya, it took me a LONG time to fall asleep after THAT heart-attack.), and three, I was just downright lazy.

"Ne, ne, Vinny-chan, why don't you show us some cool moves?" Honey hopped up onto the couch next to me. _Yeah, like you need a demonstration_, my mind sighed as I glanced around the room.

The twins and Midori were on the couch across from Honey and I, Mori slowly making his way over to us. Kyouya was off to the side typing away on his ever-present laptop, and Tamaki was annoying a very un-responsive Haruhi, who was looking over Kyouya's shoulder.

"Mah, she probably can't do anything cool at all." Hikaru huffed, leaning back into the couch.

"Yeah, Vinny's lame." Kaoru finished, doing the same.

"Hm. Proabably can't even do a handstand. So sad." Midori continued, glancing at me pityingly.

I rolled my eyes. Trying to provoke me, eh? It would never work.

"She's a disgrace to all acrobats in the world."

"It's a shame, really."

"So very sad." They all went on.

I gritted my teeth and stood up as Mori sat down next to Honey. I couldn't believe it was working. _Idiots._

I rolled up my sleeves and the trio cheered.

I just sighed and flipped onto my hands, my legs straight up in a perfect handstand. I lifted my head and glared at them, raising my eyebrows. _Happy now? _I asked with my eyes, mainly focusing on not letting my sweatshirt fall up- er. Down.

"Ooh ooh ooh! Do it on one hand!" Midori laughed, clapping her hands like and excited child.

I sighed and shifted on to one hand, the other one reaching up to grab my discarded apple off the table. I took a bite and narrowed my eyes at them.

"Now walk! Now walk!" The twins cheered, and I blushed.

In my gymnastics class, I was the only one who couldn't walk on my hands. It was insanely difficult, but it seemed to come so easily for all the other girls.

I nervously tried to take a couple steps with my hands, but ended up wobbling and falling over, landing flat on my back.

"Nnnnn." I groaned, lifting myself up and holding my head in my hand.

After two whole seconds of silence I was suddenly being glomped by the twins.

"GAHH VINNY-CHAN YOU ARE SO CUTE! THE WAY YOU BLUSHED AND FELL OVER AND SAT UP WITH THOSE SPARKLY TEARS IN YOUR EYES AND THAT LITTLE GROAN!"

I blushed even more and threw them of off me, trying not to notice how Midori was practically cracking her ribs with laughter on the couch.

"Ne, ne, Vinny-chan! Can you do a cartwheel?" Honey asked, chocolate eyes wide as the twins skipped off to bug Tamaki.

I nodded and proceeded to do one.

"Whoa. Doesn't that make you dizzy at all?" Midori asked, recovered from her laughing fit.

I shook my head.

"How many can you do in a row?"

I blanched and shrugged. When I was younger I remember trying to count, but I always got too dizzy or lost track of the number.

"Hm. I have an idea. KYOUYA!" she yelled across the room.

"Already on it." He said, typing away.

I sweatdropped. _What are they planning, and do they have telepathic powers?_

"The world record for consecutive cartwheels is… one-hundred." He said after a moment.

I blanched. _One… Hundred?_

"I believe we have a challenge on our hands." Midori grinned. "GET TO IT, VINN!" she yelled to me.

My eye twitched. There was no way in hell I could beat one hundred! _IN A ROW? No way! _It was true I did have a high tolerance for motion, but still… _One hundred?_

"Vinn! Get crackin, we got a record to beat!"

I just robotically shook my head.

"Hm," she said, tapping her chin. "You're right. We're going to need a bigger space! EVERYBODY OUTSIDE, STAT!"

**[][][]**

The next thing I knew I was outside in the courtyard, lined up and ready for my very first cartwheel. Haruhi would be my counter and the others would be my spotters, making sure I didn't hit any trees or walls.

I seriously doubted that any of it was a good idea.

But I just sighed and took a deep breath, trying to block out the "YEAH VINNY!"s and the "WOOTWOOT"s coming from the right of me as I started my endless cycle.

**MIDORI'S POV**

She visibly took a deep breath and started. After a while I got too dizzy to keep watching her. She spun around the courtyard so gracefully, it was amazing she didn't fly away. Or spew chunks in a circular motion. I suddenly burst into laughter at the thought, and saw Kyouya raise an eyebrow at me.

I just shook my head, smirking.

After approximately 3 minutes, I could tell Vinn was starting to lose it. She slowed down significantly, and couldn't keep her course. She started to wobble all over the place and-

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyouya push his glasses up ever so slightly. I turned my head to face him, the simple action catching my eye. The way his muscle-toned arm bent and stretched, the way his glasses glared, the way his perfect black hair gently rustled in the breeze, catching the light…

His dark eyes shot up to meet mine and I was frozen, ice locking around my stomach and freezing my mouth in a very embarrassing jaw-dropped position. I swear I saw the side of his sculpted lips pull up into a smirk, and I couldn't help but remember what he said to me that day in the Host Club, after Vinny had left to catch her ride with the twins.

"_You can come to me for anything, just know that. I will always be here." He said, smirking the tiniest bit. "Make sure you take that medicine, and come to me if you feel any sort of other pain." He went on, just ruining the perfect moment-_

BOOM

CRASH

CRACK

SNAP

"Maahh!" A quiet, pained voice snapped my out of my daydream, and I whipped my head around, trying to hide my red face from Kyouya and find the source of the commotion.

My eyes widened a mile when I turned around.

**VINNY'S POV**

I knew I couldn't hold out much longer. I knew I was about to collapse. The world was a whirlpool of color, and I eventually just squeezed my eyes shut tight, but my arms were tiring and I was wobbling and I didn't know where I was going and-

BOOM

CRASH

CRACK

SNAP

"Maahh!" I cried out weakly.

I heard a few gasps from the club, and I unscrewed my eyes shut, only to see the whirlpool again, and I had to stop myself from spewing chunks everywhere. I pressed my fists tightly against my eyes.

Ice ran through my veins when I heard a few nervous chuckles and stifled giggles from the group.

_Oh God… _My mind automatically came up with the worst-case-scenario as a defense. _MY PANTS FELL DOWN, MY SHORTS RIPPED, MY SWEATSHIRT FELL UP, EXPOSING MY NON-BOOBED-NESS TO THE WORLD…_ I struggled to come up with anything worse as Midori exploded into full-blown laughter and the twins joined her.

I chanced peeking my eyes open a little bit, and automatically regretted it. Oh, this was much worse. Much. Worse. I would have willingly exposed my non-boobed-ness to the world than this.

There, right in front of me, er, below me, was a very fuzzy, very swirly looking – but very unmistakable – Morinozuka Takashi. My blush matched his when I saw that I was straddling his waist. _Oh God, oh no, OH GOD NO!_ My head wailed.

I quickly tried to scramble off, but failed miserably, my face coming dangerously close to his.

Midori was literally rolling on the floor, and my face flushed even brighter. I wrenched myself off of him and tried to stand, only to fall over again a few feet beside him, at which point I just gave up.

I heaved a sigh and rolled onto my back, shoving my fists into my dizzying eye sockets as hard as possible, trying to calm the swirling and the red that I knew tainted my cheeks.

I could hear him sit up beside me, and I squeezed my fists tighter.

"Uh…" He said softly, and my face heated up even more.

I wanted to say sorry, but if I opened my mouth I knew I would just spew chunks or say something horribly stupid and make the situation approximately 129053.074 times worse.

Fortunately, Honey came to my rescue. He launched himself onto the both of us, yelling "ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?"

I blinked and nodded.

Mori 'mmhmm'-ed, and the rest of the group made their way over.

"OH MY RICEBALLS THAT WAS HILARIOUS." Midori yelled, wiping tears from her eyes.

I just scowled at the ground, sitting cross-legged.

"So how exactly did that happen? I wasn't really paying attention for the whole thing." Kaoru asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, Vinny was about to crash into the school building! So Takashi jumped in between her and the wall, but…" Honey trailed off, giggling, and I glared at the little monster.

Tamaki jumped up. "WHAT A DARING RESCUE ATTEMPT BY OUR BELOVED MORI-SENP-"

"SO ANYWAY…" The twins interrupted him, turning to Kyouya. "How many did she get?"

"I don't know. Haruhi?" He asked.

"Well… If I counted right, which I'm pretty sure I did, she got to 86 and a half before she took down Mori-senpai." She turned to me. "Sorry, Vinny, you didn't beat any records today." She reached down to help me up, and I gratefully took her hand.

Of course, I fell as soon as I got to my feet, landing on my knees with a thump. I tried to stand yet again, and wobbled, trying to keep up with the whirlwind that my head was perceiving the world as. That was, until I felt a pair of strong hands wrap themselves around my shoulders.

I think it was about then that I passed out.

**~end of C13~**

**yayy.**

**review. ~RBASA**


End file.
